Shadows
by rukia23
Summary: Kana Kuran. Kaname had thought for so long that she was dead, yet she stood before him now as flawless as he remembered her. His true sister and his original bride. He had sworn his life to her, loved her, protected her, then he had broken her.ZeroxOc
1. Chapter 1 Awakening

Disclaimer- I do not own Vampire Knight.

The quotes at the beginning of the chapters are from a song entitled "_Time_" by Sarah McLachlan. It's one of my favorite songs and helped to inspire this story based off of Vampire Knight. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Awakening**

_'Time here... All but means nothing, just shadows that move across the wall...They keep me company but they don't ask of me...They don't say nothing at all...'_

A quiet moan, a mix of pain and lust, drifted from the bed that was shrouded in black lace making it difficult to see the figure that lay covered in the softest silk sheets of the purest, darkest black. The lace surrounding the bed fluttered slightly though there was no draft coming from the one closed window. Shadows that were already long in the dim, dancing light provided by wax candles that sat in polished golden scones that were hanging from the smooth gray stone walls momentarily elongated making them appear to be taking a breath before they returned to normal and the flames of the candles flickered.

There was a new feeling in the air. A new aura. One mixed with darkness and purity, a contradiction of itself for they seemed evenly balanced. The air grew heavy and the darkness in the room deepened as if in opposition. Several moments passed and the air lightened, but the darkness didn't recede. The balance it seemed, had been restored.

"She's begun to wake..." A man said softly, his brown eyes staring intently, excitedly at the barely visible figure on the bed. Light from the candles flickered across his face illuminating a pale, handsome visage that could have been carved from the finest marble it was so perfect.

"She began to wake a long time ago, Riku," another man replied, his soft yet masculine voice hardly above a whisper as he too fixed his own blue eyes on the bed. His face was hidden in shadow, bowed slightly allowing long strands of gleaming dark hair to hang in an oddly elegant way over his face.

"Yes, but she's really waking, Sora. Our Lady is coming back to us."

The blue eyed man brushed some of his dark brown hair from his eyes in an attempt to hide the frown that had found its way onto his beautifully pale face. "Don't forget the promise we made, Riku. She will need us."

"I'm aware of that, brother," Riku answered, his voice tinged with annoyance and his green eyes flashing in the darkness.

"Then perhaps you should go and get the latest news about _him_."

* * *

"You must be thirsty," Sora murmured, brushing stray strands of dark hair from the face of the ethereal woman that lay in the black swathed bed. He sat near the edge, his lean body resting against the ornate wooden headboard as he gazed down at the woman whose lips his blue eyes lingered on. His hand reached out, his lithe fingers extending as if to touch the rose colored flesh, but it stopped, hovering a hair's breadth away before they were pulled away. "You should drink, perhaps it will help you to wake. You've spent so very long asleep, my Lady."

His fingers gently dusted over the woman's cheek as his lips parted to reveal two gleaming fangs that easily buried themselves into the flesh of the wrist he brought to his mouth. When the scent of blood filled the air, the woman beside him moaned. Filling his mouth with the warm liquid flowing through his own veins, Sora carefully tilted the woman's head towards himself being certain not smear the blood still leaking from the two small wounds on his wrist on her skin.

Leaning over the sleeping woman, he placed his lips over hers that felt so cold compared to his own and let his blood flow into her mouth slowly to be sure he didn't overwhelm her. When she swallowed instinctively, allowing his blood into her body, he pulled away. Wiping the blood that had spilled from her mouth from her chin, Sora sighed and waited, hoping that today would be the day she finally woke.

For nearly a week she had shown signs of finally waking, but she hadn't. Her eyes remained closed and she tossed and turned groaning, shouting and crying in the bed, but despite the activity she wasn't opening her eyes.

He could tell that something was haunting her, preventing her from fully awakening. Shadows from the past that had always made her eyes sad and lonely no matter how much he and Riku tried to make her smile.

"The shadows have always been your companions, they've always clung to you and you to them. It's time for that to end, my Lady. Time for you to remember who you are..."

* * *

"Kaname?"

The addressed man was staring distractedly out of an open window, his deep brown hair tickling his flawless face and neck. He hadn't heard the call of his concerned friend and continued to stare out into the darkness that was slowly beginning to lighten as the night began to melt away.

"Kaname?"

His crimson eyes blinked, refocusing and a quiet hum of realization glided from his throat. Turning he noted the worried expression on the face of his friend and wondered how long he had been staring vacantly into the night.

Running a hand through his hair, Kaname casually asked, "What is it, Takuma?"

"I was just wondering if everything was alright. You've been distracted all afternoon and everyone is beginning to worry."

"There's no need to worry, I'm fine," Kaname replied dismissively.

Takuma a tall, dusty blond haired man with warm green eyes sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "If you say so, but you've been restless this last week and it's making the others nervous. Are you sure everything is alright?"

After a few moments of awkward silence, on Takuma's part at least, Kaname spoke up. His voice was distant, his eyes clouded with what Takuma thought was regret and loneliness. "Have you ever heard the old story about the original King and Queen of the vampire race, Takuma?"

"Huh?" Takuma blinked, green eyes clouding with confusion. The question was not what he had expected and it had caught him off guard. "Which one? There are several."

Kaname sighed, a melancholy sound that reflected the look in his eyes. "I'm speaking about the one where the Queen dies of heartache after learning that her husband was not the man she thought he was."

"Ah, yes," Takuma nodded, knowing the story Kaname spoke of. "It's really a very sad story. They loved each other deeply and in the end the King tried to right his wrong."

"But it was already too late," Kaname murmured, crimson eyes staring out into the slowly brightening horizon. "Or so he thought..."

* * *

Darkness. Deep, quiet, solitary darkness. It's comforting arms had embraced her for so long it was hard to tell when it had begun to loosen its hold... When the peaceful blackness had began to fade...When her long rest had become a nightmare played out in the shadows that flickered across her closed eyelids.

A groan tumbled from her lips, her fingers curled and she writhed in discomfort and uncertainty. The fog was lifting from her sleepy mind, dispersing the shadows that were showing her people and places she didn't recall ever having seen. And death...

So much death.

So much blood.

Her chest tightened painfully and another groan poured from her. Her nails dug into the silky sheets that covered her and she tossed her head to the side, some of her dark hair falling into her face that was as pale and perfect as that of the finest porcelain doll.

She could feel kind, gentle hands on her face and hear the quiet murmurs of a familiar voice before a warmth suddenly spread throughout her entire body. She could feel the veils of darkness lifting, feel her body rejuvenating and her mind focusing itself.

Several long minutes passed before she was able to open her eyes tiredly and uncertainly. She flexed her hands, the bones and muscles stiff from not having been used in a long period time. Blinking, she attempted to focus her vision, but all she could see were the shadows thrown on the walls by the dancing candlelight.

How long had passed since she had fallen asleep was unknown to her. It was impossible to tell since everything appeared to be in the same state she remembered. Even the shadows didn't appear to have changed, they still danced along the walls of her chamber as they always had. The movements comforted her and she became entranced with them, watching as they writhed and twisted over the gray stone.

As she watched them, they metamorphosed into the outlines of people. Some she recognized and some didn't. She watched them as they moved and spoke, distant echoes of past she realized she couldn't remember. The blurry shape of a man, beautiful and elegant, stepped forward and presented his hand to her. She felt tears prick her eyes as she lifted her hand to his only to have him disappear like a wisp of smoke.

Sora watched her lose herself in the fluttering darkness cast by the sputtering candles. It had been something she had done so frequently in the past, stare into the shadows with a far away look. Sometimes she would smile, but most of the time she looked mournful. At first he had wondered why she looked so full of sorrow, so lost and hopeless. He remembered the day he asked her what it was she was thinking when she watched the shadows.

She had smiled softly, an empty smile that didn't reach her eyes and answered, "The past. Shadows hide many things, Sora, but they reveal just as much... and they always remember everything."

* * *

~A/N~

And so begins my new Vampire Knight story...

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Faded Memories

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

Again, the song quotes belong to Sarah MacLachlan, not me.

**Chapter 2**

**Faded Memories**

"_And I need just a little more silence and I need just a little more time..."_

He watched her as she stared unblinking, her crimson eyes unfocused, through the black lace that hung from the thick wooden posts of the four poster bed. A sigh of longing and sadness slipped through her lips and her eyelids began to droop tiredly.

Not wanting her to fall back into a deep slumber so soon, Sora brushed some of her dark brown hair from her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open again, they were still unfocused and glazed over with sleep as she stared into the writhing darkness beyond the confines of her bed.

"Have you finally awoken, lady Kana?" Inquired Sora quietly.

She blinked, her crimson eyes focusing some as she slowly turned, following the sound of the familiar warm voice. When her eyes met the cool blue eyes of the man who sat beside her, smiling at her, she lifted a hand that felt strange from having been idle so long and let her thin fingers ghost over his cheek. "Sora..."

A sleepy smile lit her features, but her eyes still had the look of loneliness he remembered in them from so long ago.

"You've been asleep for a long time, my lady."

"Have I," she asked, her musical voice filling the silence of the room despite its softness and the tiredness that lilted it.

"Nearly a century and a half."

"That long..."

The woman jolted in the bed, her eyes widening when the door to her room slammed open and a figure appeared at the end of the bed.

Riku pulled the curtains apart and grinned ecstatically down at the dazed woman in the black covered bed. "You're awake."

"Riku," Sora hissed, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his younger twin.

"What," the man asked, innocently meeting his brother's fierce gaze.

"Have some decency, you idiot. She's just woken."

"I know. That's why I said she's awake."

Sora sighed in annoyance and shook his head. "Just be quiet."

"Sora..."

He looked down at the glowing crimson eyes that were staring intently, hungrily at his neck.

Beautifully delicate hands reached for him as Kana slowly sat up, angling her body towards Sora's. The thin fabric of the white nightgown she wore rode high up her thighs when she put her legs on either side of Sora's lean body. She took a shaky breath and lowered her mouth towards his neck.

Sora couldn't help, but to shiver. Her breath splashed over his neck and her petite body pressed into his separated only by his red button up shirt and her thin nightgown that left very little to the imagination. Wrapping her arms around Sora, she let her hands tightly grip onto his back and her tongue glide over the smooth skin of his neck.

"It's rude to tease me, Lady Kana," Sora commented, his voice a quiet, breathy whisper as he put his own hands on her back. Steadying her, pulling her closer, urging her to do what she wanted and take his blood.

Fangs elongating, Kana plunged them into Sora's neck. He groaned pleasurably, his head tilting back and his arms holding tightly to her while she drank the blood running through his veins.

When her fangs retracted, she kept her lips over the wound she had inflicted and instinctively ran her tongue over the two punctures to help them heal faster. Pulling away, the glowing of her eyes dimming, she wiped her chin with the back of her hand and absently stared at the smear of blood that stuck out so clearly on her alabaster skin.

"Let me."

She hummed, her long eyelashes fluttering as she looked up to Riku. Her thoughts were still dazed and slow as Riku sat down on the bed and gently took her hand in his. He brought the hand to his lips, first kissing it and then licking the smear of blood away slowly, sensually. The gesture caused Kana to inhale shakily and close her eyes when a tingle of exhilaration caused her to shudder involuntarily.

"Behave, Riku," Sora warned.

Letting his brown eyes corner over to his blue eyed twin, Riku smirked while pulling Kana towards him. "Or what?"

"She isn't ours," Sora replied, glancing at Kana who was lost in a world all her own and was hearing nothing they were saying. He wasn't sure if she was even seeing them anymore.

Her crimson eyes were distant and glazed over while she straddled Riku's lap, ducking her head towards his neck. Her soft rose colored lips met the flesh of his neck lightly, lingering over the flesh before moving on to kiss another spot this time sucking gently.

Teeth grinding together, his arms tightening around Kana, Riku bit back a low growl and sneered. "She belongs to no one, Sora."

"You know as well as I do that that isn't true. Not anymore, at least," he added in a soft, defeated sounding sigh.

Riku hissed when Sora placed a hand on Kana's shoulder, turning her away from.

"You must still be tired," Sora said softly, gently guiding Kana from the lap of his brother and back onto the comfort of her pillows. "You should rest."

With an arrogant snarl, Riku stood from the bed and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The sudden loud noise and the intensity of Riku's anger had startled Kana who in her half asleep half awake state groaned and turned her head into Sora's side since the man was still sitting beside her.

Stroking her thick, dark hair soothingly Sora waited until she had fallen back into a deep sleep before leaving her side to go in search of his brooding younger twin. His search took him outside of the castle which looked abandoned as the moonlight bathed the smooth, moss and vine covered stone. All of the windows were shuttered, the paint that had once covered them was worn away by years of being exposed to the harsh elements of the mountains. In their place was slowly decaying wood that limply hung over the dust covered windows.

What was once a lush, vibrant garden was overgrown with dead, dry weeds and the flagstone path that led through it was cracked and uneven. In the gossamer light provided by the moon it was almost possible to a glimpse into the distant shadows of the past and see what the garden with its dead, thorny rose bushes and rotting trees once looked like.

A tiny stream, the remnants of a once rushing, gurgling river snaked through the grounds. There was a wooden bridge that connected the two sides of the embankment, its white paint was peeling and fading, the planks of wood sagging from years of disrepair.

Sora ignored the drooping bridge and simply walked down the dry embankment and over the polished river rock. Stepping over the small stream he walked up the slope that led to a clearing of tall, willowy grass that swayed in the gentle breeze, creating a sound that mimicked the river that once flowed through the grounds. There was a lone tree in the clearing, looking very out of place and alone since the trees of the forest that surrounded them were nearly a hundred yards beyond its thick trunk. It was this tree that Sora approached.

"Kana doesn't belong to _him_," Riku hissed coldly, his brown eyes narrowed threateningly as he looked up at his brother.

Sora ignored the comment and walked closer to Riku who was leaning against the trunk of the lone, dying tree. The night air was cool and blew through the mountains around them, rustling the dry leaves on the aging tree and sending some of them spiraling into the cloudless night. His blue eyes watched as the leaves danced and spun across the night, his eyes lingering on the dark veil that was the night sky for several moments.

"Things aren't going to be like they were before, Riku. There's too much at stake. It won't be long before he searches her out, it's impossible to think he hasn't noticed her aura by now. It's probably for the best though... I'm sure by now even a dolt like you has noticed the changes that are occurring. Something is happening, Riku and I'm not so sure that just the two of us will be enough to protect her."

"And you think she'll go willingly," Riku asked bitterly.

Closing his blue eyes, Sora sighed. "That remains to be seen."

* * *

Kaname stared into the setting sun, watching the myriad of colors the glowing orb painted the sky while the moon's pale face slowly took its place.

"It's beautiful today, isn't it? The sunset."

Kaname hummed distractedly, putting his back to the window to see the ever smiling face of Takuma Ichijo. He hadn't even sensed the young noble enter the room and he vaguely wondered how long the blond had been trying to get his attention. Striding away from the window with elegant, even steps Kaname let his tall, slim body slide down onto the cool leather of his desk chair. His eyes scanned the papers on the desk with little interest and he sighed, running a hand through his deep brown hair and closing his eyes as his head tilted back onto the seat of the chair.

"Is everything alright, Kaname," Takuma inquired, concerned over his friend's recent lack of an attention span. He took a seat in one of the red velvet covered chairs in front of the large wooden desk Kaname was situated behind and waited for an answer he wasn't sure he was going to get.

Heaving another sigh, Kaname opened his eyes. "Have you noticed it as well, Takuma? That odd sensation in the back of your mind that keeps getting stronger with each passing day..."

Takuma inwardly frowned. He had noticed the odd feeling, everyone had. It was hard not to with how incessantly it was tugging at everyone's minds, refusing to be ignored. "I have. The others have as well. You know what that means, don't you?"

"The entire vampire world is aware of it," Kaname answered. His head dropped into his hands and his fingers massaged his aching head.

"What is it exactly," Takuma asked curiously.

"..It's the awakening of a pureblood who has been thought dead for almost two thousand years."

"A.. A pureblood?" Takuma repeated, stunned by the revelation. "Awakening? I don't understand. I know that purebloods have been known to take long sleeps, but for so long and to have been thought dead?"

"When a pureblood sleeps their aura fades, but is usually still noticeable. Even if just barely. My guess is that someone used magic to conceal her aura, but when she began to awake her strength far outweighed theirs and the barrier they used began to crumble."

"She?"

Kaname nodded absently. "Yes. I'm sure you've heard of her, there aren't many who haven't. Her name is Kana Kuran."

There was no way to stop himself from gasping in shock or keep his green eyes from widening and his jaw from falling open. He could only blink dumbly at Kaname thinking that he had to be joking, but judging by the look on the man's face and the distracted state he had been Takuma knew that wasn't the case.

"We need to find her first, Takuma. The entire vampire world can feel her presence and it's only a matter of time before someone realizes who she is. I don't know her state of mind at the moment, but if her feelings haven't changed from what they were centuries ago it could prove to be very bad for our... cause to have her fall into the wrong hands."

* * *

The days passed slowly. Sora and Riku took turns watching Kana as she slowly struggled to break the hold her long slumber still had over her.

Nightmares plagued her and she writhed in her bed occasionally uttering a name or crying out in fear. Nameless faces and shapeless shadows whispered to her, telling her of things she didn't understand. Poisoning her with doubt and confusion while she struggled to pull herself out of the deep blackness that didn't want to relinquish its hold on her mind or body.

It was when she felt the probing presence of someone, someone who felt so very familiar to her that her eyes had snapped open and she sucked in a deep breath that made her back arch and her fingers curl.

"Kaname."

The name tumbled from her lips absently. Not even registering in her mind.

"Lady Kana?" Riku asked, brushing the gossamer black lace aside and allowing the dancing light provided by the candles to illuminate a portion of the bed that was always kept in shadow.

Kana blinked. "Riku..."

A relieved sigh escaped his lips. "You're awake, my lady."

"Yes," she answered wistfully, her eyes searching the darkness for something, lingering on the shadows parading across the bed. "But I can't remember," she murmured blankly.

"Can't remember what?"

She started as if she had forgotten Riku's presence at the end of the bed. Her crimson eyes looked up at him, they looked empty, blank and confused. "I don't know," she whispered slowly.

A frown appeared on Riku's face. He watched Kana stare at her hands intently, moving her fingers slowly as if to test them and watching their movement. She appeared to be mesmerized by the movement her focus was so intense.

"My lady?"

"I'm alright, Riku. I'm just... drifting... My mind is still hazy as are my memories. I've been asleep for so long that it will take time for me to adjust and wake fully."

"Is there anything I can get for you?"

Kana shook her head absently, her crimson eyes closing while she took a deep breath that she slowly released. "No, thank you, Riku, but I think I'd just like a little more peace... And darkness."

All of the candles in the room extinguished with a quiet woosh, plunging the already dimly lit room into total darkness. A silence settled over the room as Riku, with a silent nudge from Kana, left the room and closed her into the overwhelming blackness on her own.

With a sigh, Kana leaned back into the softness of her pillows. Placing an arm over her eyes to shut out the darkness she had induced, she clenched her fist and tried to sort through all of the memories and feelings that were racing through her and demanding her attention.

She stiffened when she heard a distant, airy voice whisper her name. The voice was familiar to her and it made her spine shiver. Whether it was a shiver of anticipation or fear she wasn't sure. A face appeared behind her closed eyelids. A man whose face was so very familiar, handsome and flawless. She could feel her body relaxing in response to the man's warm smile, but before she realized what was happening she was sitting bolt upright in the bed. Her hand was clutching at her chest and she was breathing fiercely.

"Kaname..why?"

A pale hand lifted to her lips and her eyes widened in response to her frantic whispers. After taking several deep, calming breaths she laid back down and stared into the murky darkness.

"Kaname," she murmured, her brows furrowing in thought.

She didn't understand why she had suddenly felt fear, why she had panicked when she knew Kaname would never hurt her. Why she knew this, she didn't know. She just felt that Kaname would never harm her, that he would always protect her. However, she couldn't fully remember who Kaname was. He was important to her, close to her, but she wasn't sure of his role in her life.

Her teeth ground together and she squeezed her eyes shut while tightly pressing her hands over them in hopes that the confusing visions and wisps of memories would stop plaguing her. Having so recently pulled herself from the arms of sleep it was hard to focus on one thing when there was so much trying to capture her attention. Her mind was still slow and couldn't process all of the information that was flooding through her.

* * *

"My lady," inquired Sora softly.

He slowly approached the figure that was hunched over a hand carved wooden table, her head was resting on her arm while she laid against the table. Her hair spilled around her in messy waves while her eyes focused on the flame of the single candle that was burning in the room. It saw near the edge of the table, its flame flickering and sputtering constantly. Sora knew that it must have been feeling the intense gaze of Kana whose emotions were probably quite similar.

"My lady," Sora repeated, leaning over Kana and gently brushing some of her out of her face.

Her eyes blinked, refocusing and she smiled wanly up at Sora's worried blue eyes. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?"

"You've been like this for the last two days, my lady. Is everything alright?"

"Stop that, Sora," Kana sighed, sliding herself off of the table and slumping back into the padded chair she sat upon. "You know I don't like it when you address me like that."

Sora smiled and chuckled at the childlike frown on Kana's face. "Sorry, but it's proper to address you formally. I've done for thousands of years do you really think I'll stop now?"

"Riku has no problem calling me by name as I requested."

"Yes, well, I pride myself on being a noble gentleman. I would hardly call Riku noble or a gentleman," commented Sora with a scowl of disapproval.

Kana chuckled lightly, her eyes closing and her shoulders shaking. "Fine, address me however you'd like."

"It's nice to hear you laugh. You've been so distant over the past few days."

"Sorry, Sora. I'm still a little of sorts," sighed Kana, her eyes reopening only to be immediately drawn to the flame of the candle on the table edge. "I'll be alright. No need to worry so much."

"It's impossible for me not to worry, lady Kana. I'm sure that by now you've sensed it, haven't you?"

She nodded, her eyes never leaving the candle flame. "I'm being hunted." She didn't particularly sound like she cared. Her voice was monotone and blank like it so often was anymore.

Frowning, Sora dipped his head once in agreement. "Yes and not just by Hunters."

"The Hunters are nothing to worry about, they're far behind and have no real way to track me. It's the group of vampires that interest me... Somehow I can vaguely sense someone searching for me, trying to pinpoint my location... And they feel familiar somehow..."

Sora's frown didn't fade, Kana had apparently lost interest in their conversation and had drifted into her own world of shadows and faded memories. Her eyes reflected the light of the candle making them appear to be glowing blood red and giving them more depth then he had seen in them in days.

With a sigh, Sora turned to leave Kana in the solace of her room that seemed to be the only thing that she wanted. Just peace and quiet in the darkness while her mind continuously faded in and out of reality while it woke to a world that was much different than what she had once known. A world where her memories would not return her no matter how hard she tried to grasp on to the wispy shadows that floated across the walls.

* * *

~A/N~

Firstly thank you to the following for reviewing the first chapter: fearlesssparrow, ellie, emeraldangel527, , Princesa de la Luna, Pri-Chan 1410, ahhshermoo, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Maximum Vampire, eevet... I think I got everyone. Thank you again and I hope you and many more review this new chapter too!

I've got a pretty good outline done for this story and so far it will be 15 chapters in length. After that it's probably going to have a sequel that is not yet planned out, but I don't want to give a lot away so hope you enjoy the story!

Please review and feed the review monster so it doesn't get grumpy! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3 Reunited

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 3**

**Reunited**

"_But you send your thieves to me, silently stalking me, dragging me into your war"_

"So... Do we just go in?" Takuma asked curiously, scratching thoughtfully at his chin while staring at the abandoned looking castle in front of him in the ebbing light of the day.

The young woman beside him made no sound or indication that she had heard the blond while her icy blue gray eyes stared ahead of her almost blankly.

"Um... Seiren?" Takuma inquired with a nervous chuckle when the girl's eyes turned on him.

"Be prepared," warned Seiren, monotonously in her hushed voice. "They already know we're here."

Takuma sighed. "I figured as much. Shall we?"

With a curt nod, Seiren leaped out of the cover the trees and disappeared. Takuma was only a few steps behind.

* * *

She could sense their approach. Feel their auras that they were attempting to hide while they carefully made their way closer to the castle grounds. Even though the two vampires that were searching her out were quickly closing in on her, she couldn't bring herself to care.

Instead, Kana spent her days in room staring into candle flames or the prancing shadows that they cast in the darkness she kept herself surrounded by. She had an idea of who sent them, she could vaguely make out a familiar aura though something about it seemed different. Not that she knew what because she couldn't even remember who the aura belonged to.

When the two who had been sent to find her finally stumbled upon the old castle, she was lost in her own world of hazy memories, nameless faces and unidentifiable voices. They swam around her, clouding her already confused mind further and making it difficult to focus on anything but the sensation of being lost and suspended in some unknown time.

It wasn't until she felt the familiar aura probing and poking at her that she began to wake from her daze feeling an odd sense of anger for reasons she couldn't name. The two vampires sent for her were in the castle now, she could feel their presence on the lower floor with Sora and Riku. Rising from her bed and stepping through the gauzy black lace that enshrouded it, she made her way towards the four vampires that had gathered in the lower hall.

* * *

Exchanging glances, Sora and Riku stood from their chairs around an old, ornate wooden table in a small room that was only dimly lit by the fading sunlight that seeped through a dusty glass paned window. They stepped into a hallway that was almost entirely dark since the few windows were shuttered on the outside and only little streams of light were seeping in through their broken or missing slats. The slivers of pale light did little to light the hall, but that was no problem for the two brothers whose eyes were more accustomed to the darkness than the light.

"That's quite far enough," Sora said, addressing the emptiness in front of himself and his brother. "Name yourselves."

Takuma and Seiren both swam into view rather suddenly though neither Sora or Riku appeared at all surprised by this. Despite the darkness that shrouded them, their pale faces almost appeared to glow with an other worldly light that made them quite easy to see.

"Hello," Takuma cheerfully, grinning widely at the two serious faced vampires that looked far from amused. "Um.. I'm Takuma Ichijo and this is Seiren. We've-"

"Did you come by _his_ orders," Riku asked, his voice a low, feral hiss.

Blinking his green eyes, Takuma hesitated uncertainly. "I'm not sure what you mean, but we did come at the request of a friend."

"The name of that friend," Sora inquired coolly, his blue eyes completely blank and unreadable.

"Kaname Kuran," Takuma answered.

Riku hissed in anger and tossed his head to the side, his long hair cascading over his face to hide the displeased scowl that now adorned it.

"I see," Sora stated, his voice as cool and even as a frosted over lake in winter. "And the reason you were sent here?"

"To take the lady Kana Kuran back to Kaname-sama," Seiren replied monotonously before Takuma could speak.

Chuckling nervously in response to Sora's slightly raised eyebrow and Seiren's rather blunt response, Takuma hurriedly tried to remedy the suddenly heavy atmosphere. "She means invite," he said. "We're here to invite lady Kana to Cross Academy where she can be better protected. A lot has changed since the lady disappeared and Kaname thought it best that she-"

"And just what makes you think that our lady wants anything to do with that man?" Riku cut in harshly, glaring at Takuma with narrowed brown eyes.

"Riku," Sora scolded calmly. "Let them explain themselves. If they're not here to take her by force then there is no problem. However, if you are here to escort her back to Cross Academy whether she wishes it or not... Well, then we may just have a problem."

"We've been told to tell her that Kaname requests her presence there, nothing else," Takuma replied.

Sora's eyes darkened slightly and Riku bit back a harsh laugh.

"A request, hm," repeated Sora evenly. "A request isn't much different than an order depending upon the relationship of those involved. Don't you agree, Riku?"

"Yes, brother, I do," Riku sneered venomously.

Sora took a deep breath, his shoulders heaving and then falling when he released it. "Why did he send you two? Why not come and take Kana himself? He knows she can't refuse a request from him."

Takuma was growing nervous with the tension that was ominously spreading throughout the gloomy hall. He wanted to avoid a fight at all costs. The two vampires before him though they were not purebloods, had definitely been given the gift of their mistress's blood. It was obvious by looking them. If they had been guarding Kana since her disappearance which Kaname had told him was nearly seven thousand years before they would have aged much more considerably. Yet they appeared to be no older than 18 years old. Of course, it was possible that they had joined Kana at a later time within the last few hundred years, but even still noble vampires would have aged more than they had. There was a heavy sense of darkness and untamed power that radiated from them. They would not be easy to beat.

Taking a moment to gather himself, Takuma released a slow, calming breath. "Are you at all familiar with the current state of affairs in the vampire society? With Cross Academy and its purpose?"

Sora nodded curtly. "Mostly. Our information isn't always from reliable sources."

"Then you should understand that at the moment Kaname cannot leave the confines of the Academy. He is responsible for keeping the peace between the humans and the vampires there and making sure that our secret is not discovered. He also didn't want to draw too much attention to the place that lady Kana is hiding, something his presence here would have done. It's his intention to keep her safe and not draw any unnecessary attention to her."

"And he thinks that she'll simply go unnoticed once she leaves this place and ventures out into the world?" Asked Sora, an eyebrow tilted as if he were bemused by the idea.

Takuma shook his head. "Of course not, but he would rather have her by his side where he can better protect her before her return is made known to the entire vampire community."

Riku snorted in disdain. "Then he shouldn't have betrayed her in the first place," he muttered, his head turned away from his brother and the two intruding vampires.

Ignoring his brother's remark, Sora regarded Takuma evenly. After a few moments, he let out a tired sounding sigh and his posture became less stiff and intimidating. His blue eyes briefly closed and he shook his head from side to side, his ponytail gliding over his back. "We're aware of the state of things and I understand the reasons behind Kaname sending you. I've believed for the past several years that Riku and I would not be enough to protect lady Kana." Noticing Riku's glare on him, Sora sighed again, but continued. "However, I'm afraid that we do not trust Kaname and his reasons, however kind they may appear to be."

Takuma frowned. This was not the way he wanted things to go. Making enemies of the bodyguards of one of the most ancient and revered purebloods of her time, a time long past, was not a wise thing to do. They were expected to bring Kana back to the Academy with them, but that would be impossible if she herself didn't agree.

"Where is she anyway? Lady Kana," Takuma asked curiously, blinking when he realized that the topic of their conversation was nowhere to be seen.

"That's none of your concern," Riku hissed, taking a threatening step forward.

"No, wait!" Takuma cried when Seiren sped past him.

"Enough."

Riku and Sora gasped, their heads turning to see Kana slowly walking down the dark hall towards them. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders in thick waves nearly to her knees and the hem of her white nightgown brushed against the cool stone walkway. Her tiny, bare feet made no sound as she moved between the twin brothers, the top of her head barely reaching passed their shoulders, and eyed Seiren and Takuma who had both frozen in place. Seiren was holding a thin, strong hand with deathly sharp nails centimeters from Riku's throat.

Kana eyed the hand for a moment and then turned to its owner. "I suggest you refrain from harming either one of them. They're quite precious to me and I will not look kindly on anyone who so much as touches them out of anger," Kana said to Seiren, her dark eyes flashing darkly to show she was to be taken seriously.

Her presence commanded everyone's full attention and all every person could do was watch her raptly as she walked around Seiren, her eyes studying the girl so closely she might have been looking into her soul. She then walked to Takuma, who towered several inches over her petite frame and stared up at him with blank eyes.

The blond giggled childishly. "Hello."

Kana ignored him and circled the taller vampire almost like a cat circling an injured mouse it intended to devour. This only caused Takuma to pale and chuckle nervously, she might have been half his size, but her presence was undeniably much larger and extremely intimidating.

"Who are you?" Kana inquired. Her tone demanding an answer though it was as soft and serene as the most beautiful spring breeze. She had finished her walk around Takuma and regarded him with eyes that he thought looked darkly amused by his discomfort and apprehension.

"T-Takuma Ichijo, my lady." He answered wincing at the tremor in his voice and weakness it portrayed to the pureblood.

"And you're here why?" She asked while she began to circle him again. This time her hand lightly traced over his torso, arm and back. She smirked darkly, a demure chuckle slipping from her lips when the nobleman shivered.

He couldn't believe the effect she was having on him. He wasn't sure if it was pleasure or fear he was feeling. Or a mixture of both for that matter. The aura that radiated from her was thick with unbridled power and a deep darkness that made even Kaname seem like a tamed kitten in his eyes. The way she moved and the way she spoke drew him, unwillingly, to her despite that. He took a deep breath, attempting to collect his wits and nerves before speaking.

"We were sent by Kaname to find you."

"Is that so," she murmured, pausing in front of Takuma to chuckle in a way that made the blond vampire fidget uncomfortably. "So," she said, looking up to meet Takuma's eyes, an ominous haze of malice swimming through her aura. "He sends me a gift then, hm? To make amends for the past?"

She tauntingly eyed his neck before giggling in feigned coyness and beginning to circle the clearly shaken blond again. When she spoke again, she raised herself onto her tip toes and leaned just a little too closely to his neck so her breath cascaded over the pale, smooth skin. "Or is that not your purpose? Perhaps you have a message for me?"

Attempting to to keep himself in complete control of his body and emotions that were being thrown through a loop due the teasing of the beautiful pureblood circling him, Takuma took a deep, calming breath. "We were sent to tell you that Kaname requests your presence at Cross Academy."

She laughed harshly and the temperature dropped with frightening speed. The air in the hall felt thick as Takuma breathed it in and out in little puffs of white air. Even the darkness grew heavier, more oppressive and it made him feel like a child as he cautiously scanned his surroundings and probed the darkness for anything that might have been hiding in it.

"Does he now," Kana replied icily.

Takuma shivered when another of her breaths collided with his neck. He was beginning to think that he wouldn't be returning to the Academy in one piece. If he even made it out of the hall he now stood in.

"My lady," Sora spoke up, his deep voice completely at ease and strong.

Humming, Kana shifted her eyes that had taken on a dangerous glow to Sora's handsome face from over Takuma's shoulder.

"He is only repeating the request as he was told to by Kaname there's no need for to taunt him as you are. He's only doing as he was asked by your dear brother."

Kana's eyes widened and a pale sheen appeared over her face in response to Sora's words. Her fingers that had been gliding over Takuma's shirt curled over the fabric. Her head bowed forward, falling onto Takuma's shoulder and the dark aura that had caused his nervousness faded. The darkness grew less dense and the chill evaporated from the air.

Blinking uncertainly when he noticed the airy, light sensation that replaced the cold, harsh one, Takuma glanced back at the pureblood. "Um.. My lady, are you-Ah!" He let out a quiet cry of shock when Kana released his sleeve and began to fall towards the chilled, hard stones of the hallway.

He was barely able to catch her and lift her back up, trying to steady her as best he could. Her legs refused to hold her up, however, and she clung onto him like a child that had just woken from a nightmare. Unsettled and confused by the abrupt change in her demeanor he was about to take her into his arms when Sora stepped forward and lifted her easily into his own.

"Excuse me for a moment," Sora said, his eyes on Kana's head that was bowed into her chest. "Riku, show them in and make some tea. I'll be back in just a few moments."

All Takuma could do was nod. He was so disoriented by the abrupt changes in Kana's personality and demeanor that he didn't know what else to do.

"Wait," Kana spoke up, her voice a tired whisper. She lifted her head and stared at Takuma who could see only confusion and uncertainty. "What does Kaname want with me? Why has my brother sent you to me?"

"I.." He hesitated unsure of how to continue.

It was Sora who answered the question. "He wishes to see you again, lady Kana. If you wish it."

Takuma was absolutely perplexed with the answer. He wasn't sure how he had forgotten that she was unaware of who Kaname was, she had been hiding from the world for so long that she wouldn't know. He had also forgotten that the name of the original king, her brother and lover had also been Kaname. That Kaname had long since disappeared from the vampire world and the one that graced it now was the child of her ancestors, not the man she had once known and loved. Yet, Sora had told her it was her brother that requested her presence and she had obviously known who Kaname was when he had mentioned him. He found himself unsure what to think and frowned to himself, wondering what would happen when she met Kaname.

A bright, sleepy smile appeared on Kana's face and she nodded. The events of only moments before were already forgotten and erased from her mind. "Yes, I would. I would very much like to see him again. It's been a very long time."

Sora turned away from the others as Kana laid her head on his shoulder. He frowned, his hands tightening ever so slightly around Kana's petite body. "As you wish."

* * *

"You're bringing her here?" The blond, bespectacled headmaster of Cross Academy asked in shock. "Kana Kuran, the original queen of the vampire race? I thought she was dead?"

"So did I," Kaname replied monotonously. "It would seem we were wrong."

"But Kaname-"

"I will take full responsibility for her. You should have no complaints with that."

Headmaster Cross sighed, removing his wire rimmed glasses to rub at his nose and close his light brown eyes. "I'm not concerned about that, Kaname. I've heard that she was very highly respected for being very controlling of her desires and as a pacifist that wanted to bring the human and vampire worlds together. What worries me is how the Council will react. I don't want any harm coming to the students here."

"The Council will have to accept her presence here," Kaname replied, his eyes gazing out the window into the starry night sky. "They have no choice. They're well aware of who she belongs to and it is not them."

Shaking his head, Cross sighed again. "Of course she's welcome here, Kaname. I just ask that you make it clear to her that things are no longer the same for her. She is no longer the queen and she can't move around as freely as I'm sure she is used to."

Kaname turned to leave, his white uniform with black embellishments appearing to glow when he stepped past the window and the moonlight reflected off of it.

"One more thing," Cross called. "What will happen to Yuuki?"

The fingers of his left hand twitched, but Kaname remained otherwise impassive. Glancing over his shoulder at Cross, he replied, "I will still protect her to the best of my ability."

"And your plans with regarding the Council?"

Kaname turned away. "We'll just have to wait and see, but I intend to create the world that Juri and Haruka Kuran wished for with or without Kana's help."

Cross frowned behind his hands that were clasped in front of him. He watched Kaname leave his office without another word figuring it best not to ask any more intrusive questions. It was obvious to him that Kaname was thrown off by the reappearance of a long thought dead woman who could potentially change the course of the future. Whether for better or worse remained to be seen.

* * *

"You'll have to forgive lady Kana," Sora said, taking a seat at the wooden table and placing a pot of hot tea in the center. "This is one of the longest sleeps she's taken and she doesn't appear to be waking from it easily."

"Does she sleep often?" Takuma asked curiously.

"Once every five hundred years or so for nearly that amount of time," answered Sora, pouring tea into the four cups placed about the table. "As I'm sure you're aware she's hidden herself away from the rest of the world for almost seven thousand years, a very long time even for a pureblood such as herself."

"Have the two of you been with her that entire time?"

Sora shook his head at Takuma's inquiry. "No, we've only been with her for just over four thousand years. I believe that she slept for quite sometime before that, but I'm not sure. She doesn't speak much about what happened to her before she found us."

Takuma blinked. "Four thousand years?"

Chuckling at Takuma's obvious shock, Sora nodded. "Yes. I'm sure you've already figured that we've been gifted with Kana's blood. It's caused us to age slower than most nobles and we also are able to take turns sleeping, something nobles aren't usually able to do."

"She gave you her blood," inquired Takuma without thinking.

He was mystified by the idea of a pureblood giving a lower level vampire their blood and even more mystified by the fact they had taken it. It was a highly taboo act to spill the blood of a pureblood, let alone to drink it.

"Yes, in exchange my brother and I vowed to protect her. We would have done so anyway, but lady Kana is well aware of the differences in the strength and lifespan of the noble class. We would have done her little good if we got sick or died while she was sleeping," Sora explained.

"You said she found you," Takuma recalled, sipping at his tea and appearing to forget that her and Seiren were there to complete a task given them by Kaname. "How?"

Sora's brown eyes glanced at Riku, his younger twin turned his head away and clenched his jaw. Sighing, Sora looked into his own tea cup. He was just about to reply when a chill breeze drifted through the room and a soft voice spoke up.

"I found them when they were about to be murdered by their own father," Kana said from the archway that led into the small room.

Gliding into the room, she waved a hand flippantly at Riku and Sora who were standing to offer her their seats. Settling herself into Riku's lap, she ran a hand over his cheek and smiled before turning her attention to Takuma.

"The birth of twins may not seem odd to a human, but to a vampire it is. They are two halves of one whole and they will try to devour one another while in their mother's womb in an attempt to become whole again. Not surprising considering the nature of vampires. This usually ends in death for the mother and the unborn children. These two, however, were different. Not only did they not attempt to devour one another, they were born perfectly healthy. They should have been seen as gifts, precious gifts," she murmured quietly, her fingers trailed over Riku's jaw and cheek. With a barely noticeable smile, she leaned her head into his shoulder, sighing in contentment when he ran his hand through her hair.

"But they weren't," Kana continued, her eyes closed and voice distant. "Their mother lost her mind after their birth and attacked several humans, she was shortly after killed by a Hunter. The reason why she lost her mind is unknown though I suspect it had something to do with trauma brought on by the birth. Giving birth to one vampire child is draining, I'd assume that giving birth two is even more so. They were blamed for her death by their father who kept them locked away from the rest of the world, unable to bring himself to harm the children his beloved wife had so badly wanted. That didn't stop the rest of the vampires in their community from spreading rumors and lies about the supposedly cursed twins. Nor did their father ever stop blaming them for their mother's death. Over time he lost his mind to his own grief and tried to kill them. I don't really know it was that I came to be there," she said, opening her eyes and lifting her head from Riku's shoulder to stare at the shadows that flickered across the wall. "I remember hearing these voices in my head, pleading and crying... It made me angry, not at the voices, but at the one causing them to sound so very hopeless..." Her voice had taken on a wistful, dreamy tone and she appeared to be absorbed by the shadows on the walls.

After a moment, she shook her head and sighed. "He was punished for his sins, their father, and the twin boys ended up becoming bound to me. I couldn't leave them there alone and there was this strange feeling, almost like that of when a bond between a pureblood and human they have turned is formed. Except I had never seen them before that day so there shouldn't have been a bond of any kind and I've never had the desire to essentially 'own' them. I don't want to take away their free will or sense of self as some purebloods do to those they turn or allow to drink their blood."

"That was very kind you," Takuma commented honestly, smiling at Kana when she turned to him with a blank look that almost made him wonder is she had forgotten he was there.

Kana's face brightened when she returned Takuma's smile and the blankness disappeared from her eyes.

"We're wasting time," Seiren spoke up, startling Takuma who sat beside her since she had been so silent the entire time they had been sitting at the table. "The Hunters are following our trail here, we should leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, you're right," Kana replied before Riku could snap out a harsh rebuke in response to the girl's rather blunt and straight forward observation. Slowly removing herself from Riku's lap, she strode towards the hall. "We don't have much in the way of belongings, it won't take long for us to prepare to leave. If you'll excuse us we'll gather our things. Sora, Riku," she called over her shoulder as the intense darkness of the hall engulfed her.

* * *

Kana let her crimson eyes study the sleek, shiny black vehicle in front of her. Her rosy lips pursed together in a childlike frown of incomprehension and she shook her head with a sigh. "I don't see how they fit horses in that thing."

Chuckling at Kana's confusion, Sora stepped up beside her to explain. "There aren't actual horses beneath the car's hood. It's a term used to describe how powerful the motors are. I know it's new and you probably didn't get an abundance of information from the little blood you drank from Riku before we left, but it will all make sense in time."

She frowned stubbornly and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you say so."

"Shall we," Takuma asked politely while opening the door to the back of the black limousine for Kana.

Tilting a brow at Takuma, leery of stepping into the metal contraption with its strange motor and hidden horses humming at, Kana remained where she was standing. The group had gathered at the base of the mountains she had hidden herself in for so many years since the dirt path that had once led to the castle was now so overgrown it wasn't passable.

Shaking his head at Kana's stubbornness, Riku stepped around her and ducked into the car. Once seated on the polished leather seat he held a hand out for Kana and smiled as if to prove there was nothing to worry about.

"Oh, fine," she sighed childishly, gathering up her long, voluminous black skirt in one hand while taking Riku's with the other.

Letting Riku take the seat against the window, she sat beside him and neatly arranged her skirt around her and fidgeted slightly to try and get comfortable in the rather tightly laced red and beige brocade corset she wore. Sora took the other empty seat beside her so she was sitting between the two twins and Takuma and Seiren took the seats opposite them.

"It will take about three hours to reach the train station from here," Takuma informed them as the car was put into gear and began to move. "We'll be taking the train into a city about a half day away from Cross Academy. The trip will take about two days, though we will be staying over night in the city to allow time for preparations to be made for Kana's arrival."

"He had better not be planning a party," Kana muttered, threading her fingers through Riku's as the car accelerated a bit too much for her liking. "He knows how I hate them." She sighed, closing her eyes to block out the quickly passing scenery outside of the window. It was making her dizzy and she decided she didn't like this mode of transportation. She would have preferred an actual horse drawn carriage to this or to have traveled using her powers as a pureblood, but then she would have had to travel alone since the others wouldn't have been able to follow.

* * *

The time passed quickly for Kana who being so unused to the different types of transportation in the current time period spent most of her time sleeping against either Sora or Riku. The speed with which they traveled made her dizzy and gave her a headache from trying to watch the passing scenery. She was also still quite tired as well and was trying to rest as much as possible before her meeting with Kaname.

Excitement and anticipation thrummed throughout her body as she finished getting dressed in the dress that had been given to her by Takuma. It was a gift from Kaname and one she liked very much. The fashion of the modern age was not suited to her tastes, at least not what she had seen of it. She figured Kaname must have known this and had the dress made for her. It was a Grecian inspired dress made with both black and smoky gray fabric. The halter top of the dress left her perfectly sculpted back open and the black sash beneath the bust accentuated the delicate curves of her petite body. The length was shorter than she was used to, falling only to a spot just past her knees when she was used to the lengthy, voluminous skirts of the times she was more familiar with.

Black high heeled sandals dressed her feet and several silver bangles jingled on her wrist as she finished combing out her hair that she had trimmed to fall to her waist instead of nearly to her knees. Satisfied with her appearance, she spun away from the full length mirror in the grand, gold trimmed bathroom and made her way out into the living room of the hotel room where Sora and Riku waited. The two twins were both dressed to perfection as well in neatly pressed black suits. Sora with a sky blue shirt beneath his jacket and Riku with a forest green one.

A knock on the door alerted them to the fact that it was now time to leave for the Academy. Kana's heart sped up briefly knowing that in only a few hours she would be reunited with her brother. A moment later that joyous feeling shattered like a glass crashing to the marble floor beneath her feet and was replaced by an intense feeling of fear and betrayal. She gasped in uncertainty, stumbling and nearly collapsing under the weight of the violent fluctuation of her own emotions.

"Kana," Riku cried worriedly, rushing to her side to steady her.

"I'm fine," she replied dismissively, her eyes staring blankly down at the floor.

"We don't have to go," Riku said to her quietly. "You don't have to go back to him."

Kana's eyelashes fluttered and she looked into Riku's brown eyes searchingly. "Why wouldn't I?" She asked hesitantly, wondering what it was that made him look at her with eyes that were trying to hide anger and mistrust.

Before Riku could speak, Sora was beside her taking her hand and kissing the top of it. He smiled brightly at Kana when her attention turned to him. "Why wouldn't you indeed? Kaname is waiting my lady, are you ready?"

She had the distinct feeling that she was missing something, that something was being kept from her as she stared up at Sora, but she nodded anyway. The thrill of excitement she had felt earlier about seeing Kaname once again making butterflies appear in her stomach and making her push the odd sensation that the momentary lapse in her emotions had caused.

* * *

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Kana, I'm Kaien Cross. I'm the headmaster here at Cross Academy."

Kana watched indifferently as the blond man bowed his head respectfully to her. He was dressed oddly in light sandy colored slacks with a white button up beneath a green sweater and very eye catching purple scarf. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of his serious demeanor and his brightly colored scarf that seemed to clash with his personality. She tilted a brow however when he raised his head and turned towards two teenagers that were standing behind him.

One was a young girl with chocolate brown hair and eyes of nearly the same shade, she was smiling happily, but fidgeting nervously with her black skirt. The other was a male whose face Kana couldn't help but to study. He had pale, smooth skin and an angular face that was easy on the eyes. She would have considered him to be quite handsome for a human except for two things. One of which was the scowl of unhidden hatred and rage he wore while he stared narrowed at she, Sora, Riku, Takuma and Seiren. The second was that he was not human, at least not any longer.

"This is my adorable daughter, Yuuki and this is my precious son, Zero-"

"I'm not your son," Zero snapped, swatting the headmaster's hand away from his head when the man tried to affectionately ruffle his hair.

The headmaster pouted for a moment before springing back into action and grinning at her. She decided that his serious demeanor moments before had been his attempt to act normally while greeting her, apparently that act had now been forgotten.

"Anyway, these two are the Academy prefects and guardians. They help to ensure that none of the Day Class students who as you're aware are all human don't find out the truth of the Night Class," the headmaster explained to her.

"I see," she replied with little interest, her eyes studying the silver haired prefect.

Glancing curiously at the barely visible tattoo on his neck that was partly obscured by his hair and uniform jacket, Kana frowned. She wasn't too familiar with the magic of the modern age, but she knew the design of the tattoo was meant to help control the urges that humans turned vampire were prone to. She was also aware that the boy in front of her had been bitten and then refused the blood of the pureblood who had done so. That meant that the amount of time before the shadows of insanity and insatiable blood lust that would eventually creep up on him and consume him would come much, much sooner. So would his death at the hands of a hunter.

Kana stepped forward, her brows drawn together and a delicate hand extending its long fingers towards the tattoo. "Has it worked?" She asked, gesturing with an elegant wave at his neck. "Has it helped to keep you-"

"Ah, my dear lady Kana, would you look at the time," Cross said suddenly, taking a light hold of her hand before she could touch the stiffening Zero who looked about to attack her and beginning to fuss around her incessantly. "We should you get you to the Moon Dorms. Kaname is waiting after all."

She blinked at the man and his overly enthusiastic grin and glanced behind him at Zero who had raised a hand to his neck and was glaring at her so harshly she felt lucky not to have burst into flames. A quick glance at the confused girl beside Zero told her that she had said something she shouldn't have. The girl seemed at a complete loss to explain what had just happened and why which told Kana that she was likely unaware of her friend's turning.

Without another word, she cast another glance at Zero and his hate filled eyes before turning back to Riku and Sora who were both tense and watching the silver haired boy suspiciously.

"This way," the headmaster sang. He then began to lead the group away from the main gates and towards a heavy set of wooden doors set into a high stone wall. Being that it was night time and the school grounds were currently empty and silent, the noise made by the gate was eerily loud.

Yuuki and Zero were trailing along behind the group of vampires and Riku, feeling the gaze of the silver haired prefect coldly burning into their backs looked over his shoulder and glared darkly.

"Leave him be," Kana said, her voice soft enough to only be heard by Sora and Riku. "His hatred is understandable even if we weren't the ones to have caused him harm."

Riku's jaw clenched, but he nodded pliantly as did Sora.

Kana smiled at the two. "And relax," she said with a light laugh, poking Riku in the cheek playfully. "There's no reason to be so on guard. No one here is a threat to me so there's no need to be so serious. We're here to reunite with our own race after a very long absence, it should be a happy occasion."

"Of course," Riku replied, nodding at Kana begrudgingly.

Sighing, Kana pouted at Riku's still too serious visage. His eyes twitched, but she continued to pout at him. "Are unhappy with me, Riku?" She asked, hanging her head as they walked through the gate.

"Eh?" He looked shocked by the idea and the sadness that appeared on Kana's face. "No! No, of course not. I'm-"

"Then smile," she chirped, with a teasing grin on her face when he stepped towards her intending to comfort her.

Sora laughed at the bewildered look on Riku's face, turning away when he glared at him.

"You tricked me," Riku complained in a quiet whine. "That wasn't very nice, lady Kana."

Looping her arm through Riku's, Kana smiled. "It got you to relax though. Now if you would only smile..."

Unable to help it, Riku smiled at Kana's antics. It was nice to hear her voice light and happy again, she had been so depressed and blank recently that he had forgotten what her voice truly sounded like.

"Much better." Kana looked away from Riku to see they were nearing a grand multi-storied mansion like structure.

They were crossing a long bridge that stood above a calmly flowing river whose far side was lined with numerous green trees providing a more solitary atmosphere. The trees allowed the dormitory to feel more secluded and private. When they neared the center of the bridge Kana could begin to make out a covered entryway that she guessed led to the main doors of the building.

Her heart began to sped up in her chest when the unmistakable shapes of people began to appear within the entryway and between its stone pillars. Her arm unconsciously tightened around Riku's and an expectant silence fell over the group. There was one man standing at the top of the few steps that led to the covered walkway and it was this man who Kana's eyes focused on.

He was tall probably close to six feet if not taller, meaning he would tower over her mere five feet three inches, but she had already expected that. His brown hair fell to his shoulders and was being gently rustled by the cool nighttime breeze that swept in from the river. His skin was pale and perfectly smooth, there wasn't a single imperfection to be seen.

As the group neared the stairs and Headmaster Cross ascended them, Kana stopped and stared up at the man who was looking down at her with familiar crimson eyes that looked almost brown in the darkness.

Noticing Kana's stop at the bottom of the steps, Cross turned and was about to ask if everything was alright when Kaname's voice floated down.

"You haven't changed at all, Kana."

Staring up at Kaname, her crimson eyes narrowed and Kana didn't move from her spot between Sora and Riku. Her head tilted as she examined the handsome pureblood in front of her.

"You address me so familiarly yet we have not met," Kana said, her tone not betraying the uncertainty she felt. She was certain that the man in front of her was Kaname, the aura was definitely his even though it had changed since she had last felt it, she knew this to be true. Yet, something didn't feel right and she wasn't certain that he was her Kaname. The brother that she had loved and pledged her love to.

"Are you certain of that?" He asked, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

Her eyes flickered and and her lips pursed into a brief frown. Kana released Sora's arm and began to climb the steps towards Kaname, raising a hand to Sora and Riku who were about to follow her to tell them to stay put. Closing the distance between herself and Kaname, Kana studied him closely, ignoring the odd flicker of fear that momentarily caused her to hesitate on the last step. Reaching a hand forward, she laid it on his cheek and stared into his eyes. He wasn't the way she remembered him and it had been so long since she had seen him that it was hard to recall how he had even looked in the past.

"Kaname," she breathed his name, sounding almost relieved as a smile appeared on her face. "It's been a long time."

"Centuries. I was beginning to think I'd lost you forever."

"Now that you've found me again there's no need to worry. I'll never leave your side."

Kaname's eyes shifted and he let them wander over the two identical men that had escorted Kana. Neither one appeared to be all that pleased by her words let alone by the fact that she was even anywhere near him. He frowned inwardly and turned his attention to Cross.

"Thank you for bringing her, Headmaster Cross, I'll handle the rest."

"Of course, Kaname, have a good night and don't forget that I'd like to speak with the both of you before class after the weekend," Cross singsonged jovially, skipping down the steps to shoo his 'children' away and back towards the Academy.

Kana caught a brief glimpse of the young Yuuki longingly looking at Kaname, she would have thought the girl's obvious crush cute except that when she saw Kaname smiling warmly at her she couldn't help but feel angered. Kaname was hers and hers alone. She had been bred to be his perfect companion and she had no intention of relinquishing that to anyone especially a little human girl.

Not a moment later the feeling dissipated and a strange thought flitted through her mind. 'She can have him.'

The vehement disgust that had laced her inner voice surprised her, but she shook it off and kept her thoughts to herself when Kaname took her arm and wrapped it around his own to lead her inside of the immaculate dormitory.

* * *

~A/N~

Nice long chapter for you all. Hope you enjoyed!

I would like to say thanks a bunch to... Pri-Chan 1410, ahhshermoo, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, emeraldangel527,XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, Ari027Nicole, Princesa de la Luna, GaarasMyBoyzz, and eevet! Thank you all for reviewing, please do so again!

Please review and while we're here if you'd like to check out my profile and my other stories I'd appreciate it. ;)


	4. Chapter 4 Welcome Home

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 4**

**Welcome Home**

"_And I need just a little more silence, and I need just a little more time"_

Not once did Kana let her eyes meet those of the suspiciously curious vampires that stood along the walkway leading into the Moon Dormitory. Instead they stayed focused in front of her, though she would occasionally glance at Kaname and smile softly, demurely. The closeness of his body was unnerving, she couldn't clearly focus on anything other than him and the hand he had laid over hers.

Everything felt so perfect, so right as she walked beside him into the grand structure that made up the living place of Cross Academy's Night Class. Not a thing seemed out of place, like it was meant to be. Anticipation began to make her body tingle and her arm tighten around Kaname's as they took to the stairs. They were more isolated now, alone, as the rest of the vampires aside from Riku and Sora hung back on the lower level of the dorms.

The room she was lead to was large and open. Two windows in the back were open, letting in the cool evening air as the heavy damask curtains fluttered in the breeze. A red velvet covered chaise sat in the center of the room. A decorative wooden coffee table stood before it, papers scattered haphazardly over its polished surface. There was a hall to the right that led to a closed door and what Kana assumed was a private bedroom.

Kaname extended an arm to allow Kana to step in to the room, he followed behind her and with a glance back at Sora and Riku began to close the door. Sora placed a hand on Riku's shoulder when his younger twin scowled and was about to step forward. He shook his head at Riku's glare and allowed the door to click shut, leaving them in the hall alone with Takuma who was beaming at them.

"Would you like me to show you to your room," Takuma offered.

"Riku, you should go with him, I'll wait wait for Lady Kana," Sora replied kindly, offering up a small smile for the blond.

"I don't want to," Riku grumbled sourly.

"We'll need to know where we're going-"

"Then you go, Sora," Riku interrupted, stubbornly leaning into the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

Sora sighed and rubbed at his temple. "Riku, don't be difficult, please. Just go with the man and come back."

Grunting, Riku pushed away from the wall. "Fine, but you had better not let anything happen to her."

"Of course not," sighed Sora, his blue eyes watching as Takuma led Riku down the hall.

* * *

Kana walked around the room slowly letting her eyes take in the details of everything. It was simple. Elegant, but simple. A small satisfied smirk pulled at the corners of her lips as she swayed towards one of the open windows. She could feel Kaname's gaze on her, feel his eyes drinking in the curves of her body as she moved and appreciating everything they saw. Turning to face him, she leaned against the window frame and smiled coyly at the handsome vampire that hadn't moved too far from the doors.

"It's been a long time, Kaname, yet you don't seem particularly pleased to see me. Have you not missed me?" She inquired, tilting her head and allowing her long hair to cascade over her shoulder while she stared expectantly at the crimson eyed man.

"Of course I've missed you," Kaname answered while walking toward her. When he reached her, one of his hands combed itself through her hair while the other caressed her cheek.

Taking a breath, Kana let her eyes flutter close and lifted a hand to press Kaname's hand against her cheek and to keep him from pulling away. "What happened to you, Kaname? You seem so different from how I remember you. You seem so very sad," she opened her eyes and stepped into his arms. Her hands gently laid themselves on his face, her fingers ghosting over the flawless skin. Her lips brushed over his briefly, experimentally. "What is it that has made you look so lost, Kaname?"

"I wouldn't say I'm lost. Lonely, perhaps, but not lost," Kaname offered up a slight smile while he ran his fingers through Kana's thick, wavy hair.

"I'm sorry you've been lonely, Kaname, but I won't be leaving you alone again. You will never be lonely so long as I am here." Lifting herself on to her tiptoes, Kana gently kissed the corner of his mouth. Relishing the feel of the smooth skin beneath her lips, she trailed kisses down his jaw to his neck, smiling when he tensed and tightened his hold on her in response to the lustful gesture.

"We have a lot to talk about, Kana. The world you remember is not the same one we're in now. A lot has changed in your absence." Attempting to distance himself from Kana, Kaname tried to step back, but Kana went with him, unwilling to release her hold on him.

"We can talk later," Kana stated in a husky whisper while her fingers began to unbutton his shirt and her lips continued to kiss the curve of his neck.

"Kana," Kaname breathed, his eyes closing as he took a shuddering breath when her teeth lightly brushed over a sensitive spot on his neck.

"Are you really going to deny me, Kaname? I'm your wife and it's been thousands of years since we last saw each other. You're not the only one who has been lonely." Her hands slipped beneath the fabric of Kaname's shirt, her nails skimming over the toned flesh and pushing the fabric slowly up and off of his shoulders.

He shuddered when she pushed his shirt from his shoulders and let her hands slide down his arms so that it could fall to the floor. He had forgotten just how persuasive Kana could be, how she always managed to get her way. Not to mention it had been so long since he had felt her touch, heard her heart beat and smelled the delicate scent that drifted from her pale skin that he was quick to lose himself in the memories of times long past. Memories of them and their life together.

Sighing, Kaname took Kana's hands in his and stepped back. "We need to talk, Kana."

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she pulled her hands from his grasp to cross them over her chest. Never before had Kaname denied her anything, not that she could remember at least and she was quick to become angry and form conclusions of her own about why. "Who is it," she asked bitterly. "Who has taken you from me?"

"Kana-"

"Answer me," she demanded. The atmosphere around her began to change as she lost focus on everything except for her anger.

A chill wind blew through the open window, tossing the curtains into the air and making her hair dance around her small body. Her eyes flashed dangerously and in the hall Riku and Sora exchanged uneasy glances. The air grew dense with her unforgiving anger as she stared at Kaname, waiting for an answer to her question.

Kaname sighed and shut his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and bent down to pick up his fallen shirt. Shrugging the shirt back on, he turned away from Kana and took a seat on the chaise looking rather tired and worn.

"That girl," Kana mused darkly, her musical voice lilting in thought. "The daughter of the odd Headmaster... It's her, isn't it?"

Silence answered her inquiry and Kana figured she had her answer. The atmosphere shifted again, the chill in the air grew and frost began to creep up on her surroundings. "A little human girl, Kaname? You are a pureblood and you belong to me or have you forgotten that in all these long years?"

"I haven't forgotten," he answered quietly, his voice distant. "I thought you were dead, Kana. You disappeared completely from my senses and for so long... I searched for you, but could never find you... When I lost hope and grew tired of living I decided to sleep. I would have been content to never have been woken, but things didn't work out that way. I was forcefully woken from my grave by a relative of Kuran who sacrificed the life of a newborn pureblood to wake me. He hoped to be able to control me, but my blood lust was too much and his strength was nothing compared to mine. In the end, however, I had no choice but to revert myself back into a child or I would have gone mad from the blood lust."

"None of this explains why it is that you're so taken with that little girl, Kaname. It explains a lot of other things, but at the moment those things don't concern me. What concerns me is that I am your wife and you are my husband. You and I are promised to one another."

"I'm aware of that, Kana," Kaname replied, a sharp note of coldness in his tone. "I already said I hadn't forgotten. However, things are not what they used to be."

A dark brow rose, but the skeptical and bitter look in her eyes didn't fade. "If you haven't forgotten, Kaname, then why should it matter that things are different now? You thought me dead? You of all people should have been able to at least vaguely sense my presence no matter what. There's no way-"

"You were hiding your presence from the world, Kana. Even I couldn't sense you," Kaname cut in, sighing and closing his eyes.

Her hands clenched over her arms, confusion creeping into her mind. It appeared to be the only emotion that remained a constant companion to her, her other emotions were too quick fluctuate and change. "And why would I do that, Kaname?" She asked blandly, wondering if he would provide her answers that would fill the gaps in her memories.

"You had your reasons," he murmured softly.

She frowned, he sounded so sad and lost as he stared at the coffee table in front of him in a way that reminded her of how she would stare into the shadows and think of the past. Taking a hesitant step forward, Kana shook off her anger and made her way to the chaise to sit beside Kaname. Angling her body toward him, she reached a hand forward to brush some of his hair from his face and search his eyes for some hint to the sadness that clouded them.

"What happened, Kaname?" She asked in a quiet whisper. Resting her palms on his cheeks, she made him meet her eyes before lightly kissing his forehead and resting her own against his. "What happened to us? Why was I so far from your side and why do you not look at me the way you used to? It's like I'm a reminder of something you'd rather forget now."

Letting out a soft sigh, Kaname laid a hand on Kana's pale cheek and let his thumb glide over the smooth skin. After a moment of silence, he gently placed his lips against her forehead before pulling away from her and standing up.

Her hands fell into her lap and Kana stared blankly down at them, confused and hurt by the distance that Kaname seemed intent to keep between them. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind while the man she loved so much walked towards the open window behind the chaise. A sensation of betrayal that made her heart ache painfully. The thin fingers of her hands clenched in her lap and she squeezed her eyes shut. Shadowy figures and ghostly shapes danced across her closed eyelids and she gasped, her eyes opening wide as she jolted when the scent of blood invaded her nostrils and she felt something wet and sticky splash across her face and exposed skin.

"Kana?"

Crimson eyes blinking rapidly, Kana examined her hands and let her fingers slide over one of her cheeks. She was checking to see if the sticky wetness she had felt splatter over her was actually real, but she could find nothing. Not even a drop of water marring any part of her skin.

"Kana?"

Jolting, she looked up to meet Kaname's eyes. He was leaning over the chaise and was studying her intently with concern and uncertainty.

"What," she asked blankly, breathlessly while barely managing to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers, Kaname said, "Maybe you should rest for the day. Your trip must have been exhausting. We can talk later, after you've rested"

"I'm fine," she snapped in reply, jerking her face away from Kaname's touch and giving him a cold look.

When Kaname sighed dejectedly and stepped away from the chaise, Kana realized how harshly she had replied and reached out for his hand before he could get far.

"You should get some rest, Kana. We'll talk later."

Tightening her grip on his hand, she lowered her head and let her hair curtain around her. "I don't want to talk later, I don't want to go and rest. I want to be here, with you. I've missed you very much, Kaname. Please don't send me away."

There were a few moments of silence during which Kana thought she would receive no reply, but just as she was about to release Kaname's hand and stand from the chaise, a tender hand tilted her chin upwards. Her heart flip flopped in her chest when she met Kaname's deep, dark eyes and saw the longing look in them. Her breathing hitched in her throat and everything around the two of them disappeared.

"I'm not sending you away, Kana, but it's obvious you haven't fully awoken. You need your rest, you shouldn't push yourself too hard until you've regained all of your former strength." His hand released her chin and stepped back.

Kana's heart twisted painfully in her chest. Her memories may have been hazy and uncertain, but this was not how she remembered things being between herself and Kaname. He had never denied her anything, had always loved and had always wanted her by his side. He had never once, that she could think of, distanced himself so greatly from her. It hurt her, but at the same time it made a small spark of burning anger appear in the back of her mind. It was a feeling she tried hard to ignore as she slowly stood from the chaise and turned her back on Kaname.

"I expect an explanation, Kaname. Not only about that little girl, but about why you called for me when you so obviously don't want me here," said Kana, her voice quiet, but strong and somewhat defiant and bitter.

She was answered by silence and with a small shake of her head, she approached the door, biting back the sting of tears that threatened to fill her eyes at the treatment she had received. When she opened the door, she smiled wanly at Sora and Riku who waited just outside the room for her.

Sora returned her smile with an encouragingly bright one while Riku suspiciously glanced behind her, a light scowl on his face.

"Why don't you show the lady to her room, Riku," Sora requested, his eyes floating behind her to stare at the pureblood that remained in the room, staring out an open window.

"And what are you going to be doing," Riku asked sharply.

Glancing at his twin, he smiled. "I wanted to speak with Kaname-sama, is that a problem?"

Riku growled quietly, but shook his head. "No. Do what ever you want. This way, Kana."

Kana let Riku put a hand on her lower back and guide her down the hall.

Once the two had walked a few yards, Sora stepped up to the door and with a light knock despite the fact it was open, waited for Kaname to address him. The pureblood didn't look at him, but his voice carried clearly.

"Shut the doors," he stated evenly.

Nodding, Sora entered the room and closed the doors behind him. He remained standing a few feet in front of the doors, his eyes closely watching the pureblood lord that had brought them all to the Academy.

"Judging by your brother's obvious dislike of me and this place am I right in assuming that the both of you are fully aware of who Kana is?" Kaname asked.

"You are."

"And am I also right in assuming you both are aware of the connection between her and I and how it came to be broken?"

"You are, though to be perfectly honest, we didn't hear it from her. We had only heard the stories and rumors, but when she gifted us with her blood we did catch glimpses of her past," Sora answered. "We could also feel the hurt and betrayal she felt, not that it was hidden from us ever. It was clear in her eyes, her aura and her smile." His blue eyes continued to study Kaname, he had never met the pureblood, he had only heard of him and given how much he really knew about the man and his past he wasn't sure what to make of him.

"What does she remember?" Kaname inquired.

Sighing, Sora shook his head and frowned slightly. "Honestly, I don't know. There are definite gaps in her memories as I'm sure you've noticed, but where those gaps are I couldn't tell you. The most notable missing memories seem to concern you and your... Falling out."

Running a hand through his hair, Kaname removed his gaze from the forest outside of his window and made his way tot the chaise. Collapsing onto it, he covered his eyes with his arm and let out a worn sigh. "Her mood swings, have they been frequent?"

"She was fairly stable before the appearance of your two messengers. Since then she has grown rather unstable. Her mood swings are unpredictable, but she's not caused any harm. Yet, at least. You appear to be the main cause for the instability, you're the only thing that has caused her moods to swing violently. Her emotions and feelings towards you are conflicting, but she doesn't know or understand why. It hurts her, she loves you very much, but at the same time that love had started turning into hate not long before she took this long sleep. It was part of the reason why she decided to sleep I think, she didn't want to hate, but she couldn't help it. And who could blame her," Sora said, he knew he had probably overstepped his bounds, but he didn't entirely care. The pureblood needed to hear the truth, he needed to know something of the suffering he had caused Kana.

He knew he was likely well aware of the pain he had caused her, after all there were plenty of stories concerning how Kaname had tried to right his wrong in the vampire stories. Whether any of them were true or not was unknown to him. He and Riku weren't even alive at that point and Kana had been hiding from the world so thoroughly that she didn't follow the events that took place in it. She had wanted nothing to do with them, she had only wanted to be alone and at peace.

When Kaname only returned his comments with silence, Sora continued to speak. This time it was his curious that prompted him. "Why did you request for her to come here? You don't seem to be all that happy to have her here. You would think that the fact your beloved wife and sister is alive would be reason enough to be happy, but you don't look happy at all. You look like you've eaten something rotten. Not to mention the look on lady Kana's face when she left, I haven't seen her that visibly upset and saddened in sometime. You must be very strong man to be able to stand seeing her like that."

"You know well enough why I wanted her here," Kaname responded, a sharp edge in his voice to inform Sora he was indeed overstepping his bounds and should be more careful from then on. "It's not safe anywhere else."

"For you or for her," Sora asked quizzically, flashing an innocent smile at Kaname when the man glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "Forgive me, I forgot my place."

"Things have changed, Kana will need to understand that and come to terms with everything that is no longer how she remembers it. If she plans on continuing to live in this world then she'll have no choice. I know Ichijo informed you and you brother about some of the changes, I would appreciate it if you explained them to Kana as well. She is expected to act as a student here for the time being and she needs to be made aware of the rules of this current society."

Knowing when to keep his mouth shut, Sora merely nodded and bowed slightly. "I understand, please excuse me."

Leaving the room, Sora made his way down the long hall and towards Kana's room. It was down the same hall as Kaname's, at the end, and the only other occupied room on this side of the building. When he opened the door to the outer room a small chuckle escaped his lips. The interior of this room was a bit different than in Kaname's room. It was still simple, but the colors were darker and the décor was more to Kana's taste.

The walls were painted a neutral beige. There was a gilded mirror curtained by gauzy red lace hanging on the wall opposite the door, between two windows. The curtains over the windows were a thick dark red, gold and black damask that would undoubtedly keep the sun's rays from probing into the room. Golden sconces hung on the walls and a matching chandelier hung from the center of the room casting a pale glow through out the room.

The lights were no doubt electric and the lamps themselves were attached to a dimmer so that the brightness could be adjusted to better accommodate Kana's taste in the pale lighting she was used to from candles. There was no shortage of candles in the room, different intricate holders were placed throughout the room and attached to the walls, black candles had been input in them.

Beneath the chandelier was a dark wooden table, two deep red armchairs and a chaise trimmed in gold and upholstered with crushed red velvet. A small round table sat beside the chaise, a set of crystal goblets and a jug of water sat a top it. A black case with a red rose sat with the items.

Ignoring the rest of the décor which consisted of a desk in the left corner and a few dark bookcases that were filled with books and pieces of art or candles as well as a few scattered pictures on the walls, Sora walked through the hall on his right. The same golden sconce lit the way through the hall and barely illuminated the door at the end of it.

Knocking first, Sora turned the cool golden knob and pushed the heavy door open. The bedroom was dimly lit by the flickering light of black candles that sat in decorative holders on the walls. The lights themselves had been left off and Sora knew it would likely take time for Kana to adjust to the harsh, artificial light they emitted.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness easily and he could see Riku and Kana sitting together on the large four poster bed. Riku was sitting upright while Kana laid curled beside him, her head on his leg.

"Is everything alright, my lady," Sora asked, stepping towards the bed and sitting down by her feet to admire her.

Her crimson eyes looked up to meet his and she smiled when Riku soothingly stroked her hair. "Of course. I'm just tired, Sora. Nothing to worry about."

"Would you like us to leave you alone so you can rest?" Sora inquired. Personally, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to leave her, she seemed too withdrawn and not like herself. He was afraid her mood was about to change and not for the better. He could feel the cold tickle of anger and hate on his neck and was unsure how to approach her without setting her off. If that was going to even be possible at this point.

"No," she sighed tiredly, sitting up and sliding towards the edge of the bed. Gracefully setting her bare feet on the plush carpeting, she stood and glided towards a door that led to what appeared to be a large closet. An old fashioned vanity sat between the door to the closet and another that led to a private bathroom, its surface was neatly covered in a wide array of make ups, perfumes, brushes and other bottles Kana wasn't sure of.

In the closet, she let her eyes roam the darkness for her belongings. She had been allowed to do some shopping while in the city the day before and had gotten quite the wardrobe. It hardly filled the large closet, but she at least had clothing that wouldn't make her stand out too much to the humans. She didn't like half of it, but she figured she would have to get used to it if she were to live amongst humans.

Untying the dress from behind her neck, she let it slide to the floor and stepped out of it, not caring that she was completely nude and still in full view of Sora and Riku. She could feel their eyes on her for a moment before they both looked away respectfully even though it was hardly the first time they had seen her uncovered body. Reaching for a crimson and black night gown, she slipped it over her head and let the soft satin cascade over her skin. The gown didn't even brush against her knees, it fell several inches above them. Her lean, pale legs were exposed as were her arms and much of her back. Not that she minded in the least as she turned and left the closet, the fabric clinging to her body as she walked.

"Aren't those clothes uncomfortable, Sora," Kana asked, sitting down on the bed and leaning unabashedly against Riku who had removed his shoes, jacket and had unbuttoned his green shirt to reveal the white undershirt he wore beneath it.

"Not really. They're not as bad as some of the fashions we've had to wear in the past."

"Tights were the worst," Riku commented, causing Kana, who had slept through this period apparently, to raise an eyebrow. "Don't ask," Riku told her, making a face at some distant memory while Sora chuckled.

"Right," Kana replied. "How was you talk with Kaname," Kana inquired, her eyes meeting Sora's while she adjusted her position against Riku. Her arm rested on his leg and her palm held her head up while she sat in a way that reminded Sora of paintings of Cleopatra of Egypt he had once seen.

"Well, he wants to be sure you are well informed about the rules of the Academy as well as those concerning our race. There have been a lot of changes in the past several hundred years and he just wants you to be aware of them," Sora answered.

"Is that so," she mused softly, her free hand reaching up to snake behind Riku's neck.

Her head rested against his chest and her neck was exposed to him. Tugging his hair free of the tie that held it, she let her fingers comb through it and didn't say anything when he dipped his head towards her neck. His lips met her flesh carefully, barely touching the skin as he kissed it and let out a breath that splashed over her skin before his lips hungrily began to move over her flesh again.

"And why should I care what he wants," Kana murmured, a soft moan slipping from her lips when Riku began to trail kisses down her arm and to her wrist, which happened to be a sensitive spot for her and most vampires. "He is not the same Kaname I remember. He's forgotten who he is and who he belongs to, regardless of what he says, he doesn't want me here. I can't say I care too much for some reason."

Pushing herself up, she turned to Riku and captured his lips with her own. He responded eagerly, his hands tightly grasping onto her back before gliding down to her leg where his fingers played with the hem of her night dress for a moment before slipping beneath it. His hand made its way up her leg and over her side, causing her to gasp and tilt her head back with a shudder of appreciation.

"He cares for you, Kana," Sora said, watching her tantalizing movements while trying to ignore the overwhelming desire to take her into his own arms.

She snorted in disdain and untangled herself from Riku to turn towards Sora. Riku's arms wrapped around her middle and she allowed it without complaint while his mouth once again found her neck.

"If that's so it's only out of obligation now. It's clear his feelings for me aren't the same as they once were."

"The same can be said of your feelings for him," Sora replied, his eyes flickering to Riku.

"If you have something to say, Sora, then say it," Kana demanded.

Riku pulled away from Kana, but kept his arms firmly around her waist while he rested his chin on Kana's shoulder and eyed his brother darkly.

"You said yourself that he had forgotten who he was and who he belonged to, but he's not the only one, is he, lady Kana?"

Kana hissed through clenched teeth and narrowed her eyes. "I don't remember you voicing such opinions in the past, Sora, perhaps you'd like to explain what's made you so concerned now?"

"You belong to Kaname, my lady, you are not free to do as you please," Sora said, his eyes not wavering from hers. "You love him, don't you, lady Kana? He's your precious, beloved brother and he's found you after so many long years. It must be a shock for the both of you. To find each other again after so long." He watched Kana's eyes and say her falter, the chill that had crept into the room began to disperse and the darkness that had been clinging to her began to lighten.

Her head slowly dropping into her chest, she let her hair slither over her shoulders and obscure her face from view. "I'm sorry, Riku, Sora. I'm not feeling very well."

Riku caught her before she could collapse and tumble from the bed, sending a heated glare at Sora, he waited while his brother pulled back the sheets so he could place Kana on them.

"Get some rest, my lady," Sora whispered. "Riku."

Twitching, Riku followed Sora into the sitting room. "Explain yourself," he hissed once they were out of the room.

"I already told you she didn't belong to us, you knew that, but you still-"

"She doesn't belong to anyone, Sora! You know as well as I do that when she regains her memories, all of them, that she won't want anything to do with him. She hates him."

"She loves him," Sora countered. "And she has no choice," he sighed resignedly. "They're married, Riku, they belong to one another and given their positions that isn't likely to change. They're two of the most respected and feared purebloods in the world."

"You're forgetting something important, brother," Riku growled.

"And what's that?"

"No one but the three of us are even aware of who he really is! They all believe him to be the son of Haruka and Juri Kuran. Not the original king of our race, but an ancestor of his. No one is even aware of the connection between Kana and Kaname."

"That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that he is who he is. Even if we are the only ones to know it. He is her brother and he is her husband, Kaname won't ignore those facts. He may not broadcast them to the entire world, but he won't ignore them."

Riku shook his head. "Maybe so, brother, but why call her here then?"

"You should know the answer to that, Riku," Sora answered. "Who is a bigger threat to him, then her."

It wasn't a question, but a statement and Riku scowled. "He doesn't want her to turn against him."

Sora nodded. "He didn't know the state of her mind, but he couldn't risk letting her fall into the hands of the Council. They would have used her to get to him."

"And you think _he_ won't use her?"

"I don't know what Kaname plans, but he won't let any harm come to lady Kana. Even if she does regain her memories sooner rather than later, he will still protect her. Things may have changed for the two of them, but he won't abandon her," Sora explained certainly.

* * *

"There's more that you're not telling me," Kana said blandly.

She was leaning into a cushioned chair across from the desk Kaname sat behind. Sora was by the door, keeping his distance from Kana who hadn't entirely forgotten his words from the night before and was still rather upset with him. Riku on the other hand, stood to Kana's right and hadn't moved an inch nor did he intend to.

In the past hour she had been informed of the current state of things in the present time. Of the Council and their members, their exploits and their way of reigning over the vampire race. Of Juri and Haruka Kuran who had raised him as if he were their own son despite the fact that he wasn't and their son had been murdered to awaken him from his tomb. She was even told about the current Vampire Hunter society and how Zero Kiryu, the prefect she had met the day before, was the last remaining member of a once well-known family. The headmaster's identity as a Hunter didn't surprise her, she could sense that he wasn't like other humans, nor was he by any means normal.

Now as she sat across from Kaname, she felt a burning rage in the pit of her stomach. The Council had taken great liberties in ruling over the vampire world. They were rather openly against a peaceful coexistence with humans and had a habit of destroying anyone who stood in their way. They also had no qualms about ordering around the remaining purebloods, nor did they treat the few remaining purebloods with respect. Instead they were treated like caged animals that would one day make a good meal.

"Is there," Kaname replied to Kana's statement.

"Yes, regarding the little human girl you're so enamored with," Kana continued pointedly.

"I already told you who she was. I mentioned that Haruka and Juri Kuran had a daughter, didn't I?"

Kana gasped quietly, her eyes widening for a brief moment. He had mentioned that there had been a baby girl gifted to the Kuran's, but he hadn't mentioned who or where they were. Now she knew who and where, but not why she was a human girl. An apparently clueless, annoying human girl that longed for something that didn't belong to her.

"I see," Kana mused. "Why is she posing as a human?"

"Haruka and Juri wished for her to live a normal life. Something they hadn't been able to give her since they had hidden her existence from the world, but that helped them to decide what to do when they were attacked by Rido and the Council's minions. Juri sacrificed her life to give Yuuki as normal and peaceful a life as she could get."

"What does that make her to you exactly?"

"She doesn't remember anything before she became a human, but she would remember me as her brother," Kaname answered.

"Right," Kana drawled darkly. "Anything else?"

"She isn't aware of it, but it was Haruka and Juri's wish that I protect her. Forever. I'm her fiance."

Hissing, Kana stood from her seat. The air grew oppressively thick and made it difficult for either Sora or Riku to breath properly and the amount of pure anger radiating from Kana made it hard to stand. The window behind Kaname shattered, sparkling shards of glass rained over the carpet and flew through room. The papers strewn over the desk scattered about the room, the glasses on the desk that had held reddish colored blood substitute exploded and loosed their contents all over the desk top.

In a flash, Kaname was out of his seat and not even a second later the entire back of it was ripped apart by unseen hands. He flew towards Kana, his hands reaching for her arms to push her back into the chair she had been sitting in. There was a gust of a window and though Kaname had pinned Kana into the chair, both Sora and Riku stood on either side of him hands raised and nails elongated into sharp talons. Not to mention that Kana had produced a small, silver, bejeweled dagger from seemingly nowhere and had the sharp tip pressing harshly into his neck.

A small speck of red dripped from beneath the blade and rolled down Kaname's neck. Kana gave an arrogantly bitter smile when he released her to stand up straight and gather the blood onto his finger to see for himself that she had cut him. Once his eyes were done examining the smear of crimson on them, he met Kana's eyes once again.

"And you say I've changed."

The arrogance on her face disappeared and she blinked, her lips parting slightly to allow a small gasp of surprise to leak from them. Glancing at the dagger in her hand and the smear of crimson on Kaname's neck, she shook her head and tried to speak, but couldn't find any words.

Her fingers released their hold on the dagger and it clattered to the floor by Sora's feet. She stared at it blankly and vaguely wondered why she had lost control over her emotions. She recalled the entire conversation, but she couldn't quite understand why she was so bitter and angry or if she even was for that matter.

There were a lot of reasons why Kaname would have agreed to the marriage with another woman. The largest being that he had thought her to be dead. He also had mentioned that he felt he owed the two people who had raised him a great deal. They had unselfishly accepted with open arms even though he was not the son that they had cherished. She could understand all of this, she could understand that since he was raised as their son that it was likely he would be engaged to their daughter if they ever had one. It was all easy enough to understand.

What she couldn't understand was why she, someone who was not known for being violent at all, had snapped the way she had. It was as if her vision had blacked out, replaced only by a desire to do harm to Kaname.

"Would the two of you excuse us please," Kaname requested, glancing from Riku to Sora.

The two men exchanged glances, but they knew better than to argue with a pureblood. With a curt nod from Sora, the two retreated from the room to stand guard just outside of it.

"Kana, look at me," Kaname coaxed, putting his hand beneath her chin to tilt her face up to his. "Kana." She blinked at him, but didn't say anything so he continued. "No one could ever replace you. I wasn't looking for a replacement. I was only trying to repay the debt I owed, she is important to me, I won't lie, but-"

Kana shook her head and closed her eyes. "It's alright, Kaname. I understand the reasons. If you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling well." She tried to stand up, but her knees gave out and Kaname had to catch her and lift her into his arms so she wouldn't collapse onto the floor that was littered with sparkling shards of glass.

* * *

The lavender eyes of Zero Kiryu watched with intent suspicion while Kana walked with Kaname, her two nearly identical lackeys following behind them. He was leaning into the hallway wall, his arms folded over his chest and his ever present scowl on his face. When the group of vampires neared him, he snorted and shoved himself away from the wall. Casting a cold glance at Kana, whose tired, bloodshot eyes met his before he abruptly broke eye contact, he waited for them all to pass him and then followed stiffly along behind them.

Much to his severe annoyance, Zero kept finding that his eyes were attracted to the dark haired woman that walked beside Kaname. There was an air about her that made it hard not to stare. He was loathe to admit it, but she was exceptionally beautiful. Not that the fact was odd, she was a pureblood vampire and all of the vampire race was known for their good looks. It was more than her looks that kept his eyes continuously finding their way to her petite form, but he couldn't understand why.

He wanted to believe it was because he hated her, that she was just like the rest of the blood thirsty leeches the Headmaster had allowed into the school, but for some reason he didn't quite believe that. She didn't feel anything like the other vampires that attended the Academy. Her aura and the feeling that she gave off wasn't even similar to Kaname's or any other pureblood vampire he had met. It was strangely different.

What made it so different was hard to pinpoint, but it was that odd sensation that made his eyes seek her out no matter how hard he tried to completely ignore her existence. Once the group reached the door to the Headmaster's office, they entered one by one with Zero being the last since he was having a glaring contest with Riku who had noticed that Zero couldn't keep his eyes off of Kana.

Keeping to the back of the room, Zero leaned into the wall by the door so that he could have a full view of everything going on in the rather cramped office. Not only did he not want to be too close to the monsters that took a human form, he wanted to be able to draw his gun from its holster and shoot them if he needed too. He hoped that one of them would give him a reason too, he'd been in a foul mood the entire weekend. There were now three more leeches for him to keep in line and one of them was a pureblood. He hated all vampires, but purebloods he abhorred the most. They were the most vile and devious monsters of all in his opinion. There wasn't an innocent or caring bone in their bodies as far as he was concerned.

His thoughts drifted as his lavender eyes once again found their way to Kana. She was seated in a chair a few feet in front of him, her dark, wavy hair was pulled into partial bun and what was left out hung over her right shoulder. She was wearing a low cut, black blouse with a red corset that gave way to a long red skirt. Her neck was exposed and his eyes found the spot where her pulse lightly reverberated beneath her pale skin.

Gritting his teeth together, Zero tore his eyes from Kana's neck and glared hatefully at the floor. He was beginning to grow thirsty and not for water, but blood. Her blood. His hands fisted at his sides and when he looked up again, his eyes met Kana's as she glanced curiously over her shoulder having felt his eyes on her. Her tired eyes peered at him as innocently as an angel's, making Zero sneer at the contradiction. A monster with the smile of an angel.

She smiled almost sadly at him and then returned her attention to the conversation going on around her. A conversation she wasn't really listening to anyway. Instead, she thought over the incredible strength that Zero must have had in order to abstain from drinking blood when he clearly desired it. She also knew that it must have been growing closer to the time where it wouldn't matter whether he wanted to drink or not. His body was no longer human and needed the nourishment of fresh blood or he would go insane with the blood lust that would overwhelm him if he denied his body what it needed.

The thought of him letting himself fall into madness just to be killed by the Hunters Association, an association his family had belonged to, made her feel badly for him. His death would be pointless, not that death always served a point, but to die simply because he didn't want to live the life of a vampire and drink blood? It was unfair. He hadn't asked for what Fate had so cruelly given him, it had been forced upon him.

Had been in her power to right the wrong that had been done to him, she would have, but she couldn't. She wasn't the one to have changed his life. All she could do was watch and let whatever happened, happen.

An odd thought struck her then and she tilted her head, allowing the skin on her neck to tighten and the throb of her pulse to stand out even more. Her fingers ran over the pulsing vein and she heard Zero fidget behind her.

'Then again,' she thought to herself. 'I could always give him what he wants.'

"Lady Kana?"

Kana looked at the bespectacled Headmaster Cross and once he was certain he had her attention, he finished his thought in a gush of excitement.

"Welcome to your new home!"

* * *

~A/N~

Super special thank yous to... GaarasMyBoyzz, Pri-Chan 1410, XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Krystalpup, Princesa de la Luna, lightrina, eevet, Midnight Wolf-94, AliceMariaSwan, and lovelyanimeangel... for reviewing last chapter! You all get cookies!

Please review again everyone! Please, please! Oh and there's a silly poll on my profile if you're bored. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 5**

**Another Piece**

"_Would you give me no choice in this?"_

"I am curious," Kana spoke up as the group was standing to leave Headmaster Cross' office. Turning slightly, she let her eyes meet Zero's and smiled ever so slightly. "Why is it that there is a vampire in the Day Class? I was under the impression that the Day students were all human, but it's quite apparent that that isn't the case."

Jaw tightening and arms tensing, Zero's lavender eyes narrowed spitefully. Cross appeared dumbfounded by the sudden question and he blinked blankly between Kana and Zero.

"You are a vampire, aren't you?" Kana inquired, her eyes twinkling with an almost mischievous light. "Or are you some other creature, because you most certainly aren't human."

Zero's movements were quick and fluid, not a single one was wasted as he reached beneath his black jacket to pull a gleaming silver gun with the words Bloody Rose inscribed on it from his side and aim it for Kana's heart. Reacting instinctively to protect Kana both Sora and Riku made to move and attack Zero before he could pull the trigger, but Kana raised a hand into the air before Zero's gun was even fully drawn. Sora and Riku jolted and stilled, looks of surprise evident on their handsome, identical faces.

"Oh dear!" The Headmaster cried, scrambling around his desk hurriedly.

"I would advise you to put that away, Kiryu," said Kaname evenly as he positioned his lean body protectively in front of Kana's.

A demure smirk played on the corners of Kana's red lips and she tilted an eyebrow, her eyes settling on the raised gun."A vampire hunter turned vampire," she mused in a sing song voice. "No wonder there's so much hate in your eyes. You hate all vampires, yourself included. Not that I could blame you, you will eventually become one of the bloodsucking monsters you're responsible for hunting and killing."

Gritting his teeth, Zero's finger began to tighten on the trigger of the Bloody Rose gun. There was something in his eyes, a defiance and an uncertainty that Kana didn't fail to notice. Her own eyes flickered and a she had a strange sense that she had met the boy standing defiantly before her prior to her arrival at the Academy. She blinked and mentally shook the feeling off and sighed.

"Put the gun down, Zero. It's not me you wish to kill," Kana said tiredly, the smirk and playful gleam in her eyes disappearing as she stepped around Kaname. Zero stiffened as she walked forward, but she didn't approach him, instead she walked towards the door. "I hope you get the revenge you so obviously desire, though I hope it ends differently for you than you would like it to. The life of a vampire may seem unimportant to someone raised as a human and a Hunter, but a life is a life nonetheless and the loss of one for the sake of revenge and hate would be tragic, don't you agree?"

She didn't wait for an answer though she did see surprise flash briefly in his eyes before it was replaced with hate once again. Opening the door and striding through it elegantly she kept a firm hold over Sora and Riku until the two were beside her in the hallway. The two were not pleased with the silver haired prefect who had so boldly threatened the life of the one they had pledged to always protect and she didn't want them doing anything rash.

* * *

The next day while walking between Sora and Riku, Kana ignored the crowds of girls that had gathered on either side of the gate that separated the Moon Dorms from the Academy grounds. Their screams and yells were annoying, but she paid them little mind as she strolled elegantly along behind Kaname who lead the Night Class towards the Academy for classes now that the weekend was over.

She noticed Yuuki having a hard time keeping the girls on one side in line and smirked to herself before turning her attention to the other side that Zero was having little trouble with. It seemed his scowl and fierce attitude was enough to keep the girls from trying anything in fear of what he might do to them. Their eyes met and once again Kana had the sense that she had met Zero outside of the Academy, before she could think much on the feeling a quiet cry of surprise drew her attention back to Yuuki. The girl had been knocked to the ground and was making her way back up with a grimace of pain.

"Are you alright," Kaname inquired kindly, offering Yuuki a hand to help her up.

Blushing a bright shade of red, Yuuki stuttered and stood up hastily clasping her dusty hands behind her back shyly. "F-Fine. Thank you, Kaname-senpai."

"You should be more careful, Yuuki. We don't want you getting hurt," Kaname said, offering a warm smile that made Kana scowl.

Eyes narrowed, Kana stepped beside Kaname and with a disdainful glance at Yuuki, slid her arm primly through his. "Shouldn't we be getting to class?"

"Yes, of course," Kaname answered her absently, still smiling softly at Yuuki. "Have a good night, Yuuki."

Kana held tightly to Kaname's arm until they entered the dimmed halls of the Academy building where she released it with a hiss of disgust and gave him a cold glare. Kaname didn't appear to be bothered with this as he made his way up the stairs without a word to her.

"Don't ignore me, Kaname," she called after him, her aura rippling with anger and bitterness that made the lights waver and flicker ominously. "We-"

"Will talk later," Kaname cut in, glancing over his shoulder at her with a look that told her not to argue with him.

Her hands fisted at her sides, but she didn't say anything else as she began to climb the stairs to the second floor.

* * *

She quickly grew bored with the classes and lectures she was forced to sit through like an obedient doll. After only a few hours of pretending to be interested on her third night, she finally gave up and took to staring out the window and arrogantly ignoring anyone who tried to speak with her. She lost interest in staring out the window after a matter of minutes and stood up. Sora and Riku glanced curiously at her from their seats on either side of her and she smiled while raising a finger to her lips in a gesture that asked them to be quiet. With a wink at the two boys, she disappeared from her seat and the room.

Sora and Riku both heaved sighs and exchanged looks in the darkened classroom, but remained in their seats. If she had wanted them to follow then she would have made it clear.

The night breeze was cool and Kana raised her face to the inky sky to allow it to rush over her face as she stood on a stone walkway that lead to a garden. The light, delicate scent of roses drifted to her nose and enticed by their scent, she made her way to the wrought iron gate and pushed it open. It gave a squeak of protest that sounded like an echoing scream in the quiet that enveloped the area, but otherwise opened easily.

"What do you think you're doing out of class, vampire," a cold voice demanded strongly from behind her.

Looking over her shoulder at Zero who had his gun drawn and pointing for her heart, she smiled. She didn't sense any killing intent despite the look he wore which she felt was worn more out of habit than anything. "Taking a walk. I would think that was obvious. Care to join me?"

"You're not supposed to be out of class," Zero hissed, gun still raised and steady in his hand. It was as if it was an extension of his arm.

She shrugged daintily. "I was bored."

"Get back inside," Zero ordered brusquely, the look in his eyes was unforgiving and cold as stone, but Kana still sensed no harmful intent. Only hate and anger.

Kana lifted a brow quizzically. "Or what?"

Zero grunted his annoyance, but didn't move. He had the sense that she wasn't a threat, a sense he tried to ignore since she was still a vampire, but something in him wouldn't allow him to think of her as a threat to himself or anyone else. It was a frustrating feeling. A feeling he wanted nothing more than to strangle.

Smirking since she was essentially getting her way, Kana giggled and slipped through the garden gate.

"What are you," Zero asked blandly. He didn't like the feelings he got from her. Didn't like not being able to hate her and loathe her without feeling an odd guilt when she was nothing but a demon in the guise of a human.

Stopping, Kana blinked over her shoulder at Zero, confused by the question. "A pureblood vampire. You already knew that, did you not?"

He seemed uncertain, but he lowered his gun and shoved it back into its holster. "Then why do you feel so different than the others?"

"I'm a pureblood, Zero. I'm not on the same-"

"That isn't what I mean. Kaname is a pureblood, and he's not the only one I've had the pleasure of meeting," he hissed coldly, his neck tilting slightly so the black tattoo on it was clearly visible. "You don't feel like them."

Losing interest in the garden, Kana slid back through the gate and approached Zero, stopping a few feet in front of him. "I suppose I wouldn't," she replied quietly, thoughtfully. "I am one of the original purebloods."

Zero's eyes briefly widened in surprise. If her statement were true it would make her around ten thousand years old when she barely looked to be older than sixteen.

"Didn't they tell you who I was?" she asked inquisitively, tilting her head to the side to gaze at him.

His teeth ground together and his cheek twitched. He didn't like having information withheld from him and he liked having to hear about from a vampire even less. "What do you mean?" He asked through gritted teeth.

She hummed, tilting her head to the other side, Kana replied, "My name is Kana, but did they tell you what my last name was?"

Zero's lavender eyes flickered uncertainly as he remember the day Kana had been brought to the Academy the week before. She had referred to Kaname as her brother, but that just wasn't possible. Kaname Kuran had no living relatives, that was a widely known fact in both the vampire and hunter worlds. Not to mention that Kaname had been born centuries after she would have been. They may have been related, but it wasn't as brother and sister.

"You're a member of a vampire hunter family, correct?" Kana asked, already knowing the answer, but feeling it necessary to bring up his family's occupation.

"So what?" He asked haughtily, sensing a slight shift in her aura. It felt like she was suddenly a different person. He had sensed a hesitation, an uncertainty from her before, but it was gone. Replaced with a more light, airy sensation that made him feel he was in the presence of someone far less atrocious than a vampire.

Kana's lips pulled into a bemused smile and her eyes watched him, interested in how he would react to hearing her name. "My name, Zero Kiryu, is Kana Kuran. It should sound quite familiar to you."

Zero's eyes widened. "That's impossible," he hissed condescendingly. "You should be dead."

"Whoever said that?" Kana asked lightly, flippantly while flicking some of her hair out of her pale face. "I went into hiding. I didn't die. I hid my aura and my existence, that is all."

He shook his head, his face pulling into a frown and his brows drawing together. He didn't get the sense that she was lying, but the stories he had heard all painted her as dead. And she had not died a kind death. There should have been no doubt of her death if he believed the stories his ancestors had passed down.

"You were eaten by the ancestors of the Hunters. Your body was destroyed and every drop of your blood devoured." It came out a bit harsh, more so than he had intended it to. He turned away from her abruptly, he had felt a sting of guilt that he refused to acknowledge.

Crimson eyes flickering, her brows drew together and her lips pursed, the corners turning downwards in a slight frown. Her head tilted somewhat and she stared at Zero with thoughtful eyes. "You look very familiar," she commented airily, almost as if she were dreaming. The light dancing in her eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly and she took a step towards Zero, lifting a hand to reach for his face.

Zero pulled away as if repulsed by the idea of being touched by her and Kana's frown deepened. She looked as if he had hurt her and yet another spark of guilt ignited unwanted in the back of his mind. It's what made him stay in place as she reached for him again even though his body instinctively wanted nothing to do with the blood sucking demon.

Her fingers were cold against his cheek and his piercing lavender eyes never left her dark crimson but that wasn't what made him jerk in surprise and forcefully wrench her wrist away from him.

Gasping, Kana stared wide eyed at Zero completely ignoring the powerful grasp he had on her wrist that was likely to leave bruises. She wasn't able to say anything when Zero suddenly stepped in front of her, his shoulder knocking her back a step as he released her wrist to grab onto a silver rod that sparked feebly at his touch. She blinked at Yuuki who looked just as surprised by Zero's actions as she was.

"What are you doing," growled Zero, releasing Yuuki's silver staff and giving her his usual bitter scowl.

"I.. She.. It looked like.." Yuuki stuttered over her answer, the flush on her cheeks obvious even in the darkness of the night. Looking from Zero to Kana who looked rather pale and almost frightened as she stood behind Zero who appeared to be protectively keeping her behind him.

The arrival of Yuuki seemed to do something in Kana and her head rose, her crimson eyes taking on a wicked glow as she let her eyes focus on Yuuki from over Zero's shoulder. Sensing that she was in some kind of danger, Yuuki swallowed, but held her ground defiantly. With a glance over his shoulder, Zero noticed the cold, scornful look that had taken up residence in Kana's eyes that had been dancing with mirth only minutes go. The look seemed out of place on her.

"Night class students shouldn't-" She was cut off when Zero lowered the silver rod she held, the movement breaking the eye contact Kana had with Yuuki.

He wasn't entirely sure who he was trying to protect. Yuuki or Kana. Had either attacked there would have been definite repercussions. For Yuuki, she would have been badly injured if not killed. For Kana, her identity would have become known and she would have been hunted by not only the Hunter Society, but the vampires as well.

"Tristan," Kana whispered absently, her eyes growing unfocused and glassy as Zero looked back at her.

He watched her face pale and the menacing light that had been dancing in her eyes fade as her hands went limp at her sides and her she stared blankly up into his face. She shut her eyes only to have to put a hand to her head as a bright, hot flash of pain seared across her eyelids. It was so real that she cried out, anguished tears forming in her eyes and slipping from beneath her lids to trail down her cheeks. Her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the cold, hard stone of the pathway, her head bowing and her hair hanging around her like a curtain.

Blood. There was blood everywhere. All over her, all over the faces of the men and women that were leering at her with hate filled eyes that were so much like Zero's. And there was pain. Agonizing pain. But she felt that she deserved it, that she had earned the pain somehow. Crumpling in on herself, Kana clutched her hands tightly over her eyes. Her breathing was quick, forced and her chest was rising and falling rapidly underneath her uniform.

Zero watched her not knowing just what was going on. Her aura was changing constantly, there was overwhelming confusion, guilt, anguish and a heavy darkness that was pressing in on him oppressively.

Her aura had attracted others. Sora and Riku appeared on either side of her, Sora leaning down and placing a hand on Kana's back while Riku glared at Zero. Kaname had also appeared, but he stayed a few yards from the scene appearing to do nothing more than watch as Sora talked with Kana and try to calm her down.

"What did you say to her, Kiryu?" Kaname inquired blandly.

He narrowed his eyes at the pureblood, an overwhelming sense of hatred and disgust boiling in the pit of his stomach. "None of your business."

"It is my business seeing as how she is under my care," Kaname replied coldly.

"Is she who she says she is?" Zero asked, his voice bland. He was trying not to think about the vision that had flashed so vividly through his mind. Trying not to think of the scene were a man that looked like him smiled warmly at Kana who was returning his smile with a gentle softness that made her appear to be glowing from within.

It took a Kaname a moment to answer and he never once deigned to look in Zero's direction. "Yes," he conceded finally. "Though she doesn't remember much."

"She thinks you're her brother." Zero's keen eyes noticed the slight change in Kaname's normally controlled expression and wondered what it was that he was missing. He glanced back at Kana who was now on her feet, leaning tiredly against Sora. "She's supposed to be dead."

Kana lifted her head to meet Zero's eyes and a pained look crossed her ashen face. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but when Kaname stepped towards her, she lowered her head meekly and remained silent. In the moonlight, Zero could just barely make out a flash as a tear slid down Kana's cheek, catching the moonlight before slipping from her skin.

With no intention of responding to Zero's statements, Kaname approached Kana who turned her face away from him and stepped back.

"I'm going to return to my room. I'm not feeling well. Excuse me." Gripping on to Sora, Kana began to walk towards the Moon Dorms, her head down and her face still deathly pale.

Zero watched her go, when she, Sora and Riku were out of sight he glared at Kaname icily.

"I'm surprised you didn't take her to the Headmaster. Isn't that what your duty is, Kiryu? To discipline misbehaving students, not talk with them like old friends." Kaname ignored the freezing look Zero was bestowing upon him and laid a hand on Yuuki's head while smiling softly. "Are you alright?"

Blushing beet red, Yuuki nodded jerkily and stuttered out, "Y-Yes, Ka-Kaname-senpai. Thank you."

"What's going on, Kuran?" Zero demanded. "Why is she here? She should be dead."

His eyes meeting Zero's coldly, Kaname answered, "It's none of your concern. I should get back to the others, class is about to end. Good night, Yuuki."

Before Zero could angrily protest, Kaname had turned his back on him and was walking back to the Academy building his white uniform glowing in the moonlight.

* * *

All of the curtains were drawn in her room casting the room into an impenetrable and deep darkness. Kana lay on her bed still in her bright white school uniform with one arm over her eyes and her hair messily splayed around her. She let out a quiet breath and the candles in the wall sconces bounced to life. The room was now lit with a dancing orange glow and she removed her arm from over her eyes to stare blankly up at the ceiling, her eyes searching for something in the depth of the now disturbed darkness.

How long she had been staring into the shadows that were frolicking on the ceiling she didn't know, but when a hand gently brushed stray tears she hadn't even noticed slipping from her eyes away, she jolted. Blinking away the shadows and letting her vision refocus, Kana looked up into Kaname's calm and nearly emotionless eyes. For several moments their eyes locked until Kana closed hers and rolled onto her side so her back was to Kaname.

"Kana-"

"Leave," she whispered hoarsely, curling her knees up into her chest and looking very childlike as she huddled in on herself.

Heaving a sigh, Kaname leaned further over her from where he sat on her bed. His fingers lightly brushed some of her hair from her face and caressed the pale, smooth skin. Lowering his head, he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and stood up from the bed. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, Kana. Get some rest."

"Get out," she mumbled pleadingly, once again covering her face with her arm.

He left the room quietly, not once looking back at the woman that was curled up on the bed. Once he was back in his room, he collapsed onto the chaise beneath the windows. The early morning breeze was cool as it blew through the open windows, playing with the hems of the heavy curtains. Covering his own eyes with his arm, he thought back to the name he had heard Kana utter as she stared wide eyed and shocked up at Zero. It was a name he hadn't heard in thousands of years and a name that still made his insides churn remorsefully. His hand fisted over his eyes and wondered how long it would be until Kana remembered everything that had happened between them. He also wondered just what she would do when she did remember. It was obvious that she was already struggling with the conflicting emotions of love and hate that she felt for him and that it was causing her a great deal of stress, but he had to wonder what would happen when she remembered how he had betrayed her. What she would do when there was no longer any doubt that she hated him and that he deserved it.

* * *

Sora and Riku sat together in the sitting room of Kana's rooms. They were silent and simply sat still while staring absently at the table. The hours of silence weren't broken until Sora sighed and adjusted his position in the armchair he had sat in.

"She isn't calming down this time," Sora said, his head turning towards the hall that led to Kana's bedroom. "Her aura is still confused."

"What should we do," asked Riku.

Sora sighed and shook his head. "I don't think we can do anything except comfort her. She can't sort out what's going on inside of her own mind. Her memory is still not fully recovered and judging by her demeanor at the moment it's likely she has remembered something else that was far from pleasant."

"That name," Riku spoke up, a thoughtful frown pulling his brows together. "The one she said just before we got there. It sounds familiar. I want to say I've heard her say it before."

"No," Sora answered, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. "She's never mentioned the name, but I remember hearing it before too. I want to say it was the name of a vampire hunter in one of the old stories about lady Kana and how she had supposedly died."

"There are a lot of stories about that," Riku said distastefully. "Most of them end with Kana being eaten by the ancestors of the vampire hunters after killing a hunter on accident. She gave herself to them to make amends for his death, but he is usually nameless."

"That's true, but I want to say that in one of the versions his name was Tristan," Sora replied.

"I don't see what it matters," Riku said with little interest. "They're just stories, aren't they?"

Sora resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his rather emotionally obtuse brother. "It matters, Riku, because if he was real there may have been more to the story than we know. We know why Kana went into hiding. We know what Kaname did do lose her trust and we know there was a hunter involved. This Tristan may have been that hunter."

* * *

Zero lay in his bed later that night, thinking back to the vision he had when Kana had touched him. The man had looked a lot like him, only older and a bit thicker in build. There was also the name she muttered afterwards, a name that sounded familiar to him. Unable to recall where he had heard the name, but with a sneaking suspicion he knew where he to look, he resolved to speak with the Headmaster the following morning. He wanted to take a trip to the Vampire Hunter Headquarters and take a look through the archives that it housed.

Sighing, he ran a hand over his face only to scowl in annoyance when Kana's smiling face greeted him behind his eyelids. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a pillow over his head and tossed himself onto his side while attempting to think of anything other than Kana who seemed quite intent to be the center of his attention.

* * *

"How do cell phones work?" Kana asked curiously as she sat primly in a seat in front of Headmaster Cross' desk. "I saw one of the students using one and asked Sora what it was, but he wasn't able to explain before I was brought in here. The student was holding this cell phone thing to her ear and talking at it. It was quite odd."

Cross sighed, his brown eyes closing for a moment as he pushed his glasses up his slim nose. "Kana, dear, you realize that I called you in here because of what happened last night. The Night Class is not permitted to-"

"Speaking of last night," Kana cut in, glancing around the room. "Where's Zero today? I don't sense him and I haven't since this morning before classes. Is he alright?" She pretended not to notice the way the Headmaster's shoulders slumped in defeat and blinked innocently at him.

"Kana, you're being difficult," Kaname spoke up, slipping away from the wall he had been leaning against and out of the shadows that had been clinging to him.

Kana blatantly ignored his presence. "Oh and television. What is it? I heard that loud blond boy, Aido, whining about it. Is it some kind of game?"

"Kana, we can talk about all of these things later. For now-"

"I'm sorry, Kaname, were you saying something," Kana finally turned to her brother and gave him a blankly innocent look.

Kaname sighed and looked to Headmaster Cross. "I apologize for wasting your time. I'll speak with Kana on my own if that is alright?"

Cross nodded. "Yes, it's fine. Please remember, Kana, the rules in place here at the Academy are for the safety of everyone, vampire and human alike."

"I'm aware of that," she answered seriously, standing from her seat and making her way to the door. "Excuse me."

* * *

Arms folded over her chest and a blank, but slightly annoyed look on her face, Kana listened to Kaname lecture her on the importance of obeying the rules of the Academy. She stared out of his window as he spoke and watched the clouds floating over the twilight sky. Her ears caught the distant sound of a car door slamming and the familiar scent that was Zero Kiryu. She vaguely wondered where the prefect had disappeared to for the duration of the day and ended up tuning Kaname out almost entirely.

"Kana."

Her eyes moved from the window to Kaname's frown, her face was blank as she looked at him, her eyes were cold. "I've been lectured enough for one day,_ brother_," she said, practically hissing the last word. "I understand the rules, Kaname. That doesn't mean I plan on following them. I came here because you sent for me. I can't refuse to do the bidding of my dearly beloved brother and husband, now can I?" Her eyes darkened and a palpable threat sharpened the cool air in the room lit only by the fading sun as it sunk behind the distant dark shapes of hills. "I didn't agree to this, dear husband," she said spitefully. "I came here because you wished it, because I thought you wanted to see me, to be with me. I didn't come here to act like a student and hide my identity from all but two of your students. I am who I am and it's only a matter of time before the entire vampire world realizes that you're attempting to hide me here."

"You're right, but it's not the time to tell the world that you've returned. Not when you're still weakened and not fully awake," replied Kaname.

Narrowing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and tossed her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at Kaname. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you don't want me telling anyone who you really are. They all believe you to be the son of Haruka and Juuri Kuran with no living relatives and no wife. You have no intention of telling anyone how we're connected, do you?"

Kaname remained silent, staring out the window at the setting sun.

Standing from her seat, Kana let out a long breath and shook her head. "Why did you send for me, Kaname? Was it really because you wanted to be able to protect me and look after me? I don't need your protection, I don't need you to look after me. I've done fine on my own and with Sora and Riku for centuries. There's a reason you sent for me, but I don't believe your intentions were noble."

"Do you remember why you left, Kana?" Kaname asked, his voice distant as he continued to stare out into the dimming evening.

Hearing a note of pain in his far away voice, Kana frowned and paused in her walk towards the door. "No," she answered, her crimson eyes downcast and staring at the floor in front of her feet.

"The name you said earlier. Tristan. Do you know who he is?"

She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see it since their backs were to one another. The vision of the man that resembled Zero Kiryu flashed through her mind and she closed her eyes, a saddened feeling piercing her heart and making tears spring to her eyes for reasons she didn't understand.

"He was a Hunter. One of the few to want a peaceful end to the war between our two races. Just like you did," Kaname said quietly.

"What happened to him?" Kana asked softly.

"He died."

Kana swallowed and took a deep breath. "Why do I want to hate you so badly, Kaname? Why does being near you make me want to hurt you? I love you, don't I?"

"I don't know." The lie fell from his lips easily. He closed his own crimson eyes that were so like Kana's, so like the woman he had loved and waited for her reply. He heard her shaky intake of breath and the sound of her swallowing. "I love you, Kana."

She turned around and stared watery eyed at Kaname's back. "Do you or do you just feel obligated to say that since even if you're denying who I am to the world, you can't deny it to yourself?"

"I'm saying it because I mean it," he replied, he put his back to the window and walked gracefully towards Kana. Slipping his arms around the smaller woman, he pulled her to his chest.

Her eyes closed again and she returned the embrace, gripping on to Kaname as if he could somehow stop the swirling confusion in her mind by simply standing still. For several long seconds, they stood still together, holding each other. It was Kaname who pulled away, looking down into Kana's dark eyes.

"The world is not what you remember it being, Kana. Whether you want to obey them or not, the rules in place here are for the protection of vampire and human alike. It's easier to keep the Council placated when things are running smoothly, please understand that."

"I'm not a child," she stated in a quiet, but bitter voice. "I understand the reasons, but the Council have no right to think they can control me. They are-"

"They are the current governing power of our world," Kaname cut in. "And whether you like it or not, Kana, it is safest to play by their rules for the time being."

"You never played by anyone's rules but your own, Kaname. You expect me to believe that you've become as docile as a kitten?" The words had slipped unbidden from her lips and though she didn't understand their meaning entirely, she didn't voice that feeling and waited for a reply.

"Who says I'm playing by their rules?"

Kana's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I have no intention of allowing the Council to continue to be in existence for much longer. However, I'm also aware that now isn't the time to make a move. I'm not ready yet."

"And the little girl?"

"I will protect Yuuki."

"And after? What will you do with her then?"

Kaname didn't answer, but he kept his eyes firmly locked with Kana's.

"There is no reason for me to be here," Kana said softly, turning back towards the doors. "I'm leaving in the morning."

"No."

She glanced over her shoulder, eye brow raised and lips pursed. "You have no right to tell me what to do any longer. You are not my husband, you gave away the right to have any claim to me when you agreed to marry your precious little Yuuki."

"I'm still your brother and I still want to protect you."

"No, you want to use me. You were always good at using the people at your disposal."

"I don't want to use you, but your help would be appreciated. I'm fighting for the world you wanted, Kana." His hand reached for her hair and his fingers combed through the long waves before he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "Won't you help me? Or do you no longer desire peace between the humans and the vampires? I am fighting to make your wish come true. Stay and help me."

There was a long pause before Kana nodded once and whispered hoarsely, "Fine."

"Good," Kaname said, kissing the top of her head and stepping away from her. "You look tired, you should get some rest."

"You were always good at getting what you wanted," Kana murmured.

* * *

~A/N~

Sorry about the wait. I've been a bit busy with school and trying not to get fired from work for stupid reasons. Not to mention I changed a few things in the plot and needed to be sure they would work.

I would thank everyone like I usually do, but my cat has decided I need to pay him attention and I'm only typing with one hand.. So thank you everyone for your reviews and such!

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6 Beasts

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 6**

**Beasts **

"_I know you can't resist, trying to reopen a sore"_

With no intention of behaving as Kaname wished, Kana refused to obey the rules that he tried to impose upon her. The times may have changed and the way things were done in their world so long ago may have been different, but regardless of all of that she was still Kana Kuran, she was still royalty in the vampire world and no one could deny that. Perhaps not a queen any longer, but a princess that deserved the utmost respect for the simple fact that her blood was among the oldest, purest and strongest of all the vampires.

Crimson eyes slid to the right and a single deep brown brow rose curiously. Kana watched Zero stroll haughtily towards her in the darkness with barely a hint of interest.

"What are you doing out of class," he asked demandingly, stopping a few yards away to glare at her.

Shaking her bangs out of her eyes, Kana looked back over the shadowed trees of the woods that surrounded Cross Academy. She was perched on the ledge of a balcony that was accessible from a stairwell down the hall from the classroom she had left minutes before after expressing her annoyance with the droning old man that was instructing the class that evening. She wasn't even sure what topic he was teaching, she hadn't been paying attention to anything, but his voice was irritating and it grated on her nerves. The teacher wasn't her only issue with the class, her biggest issue was the deceivingly beautiful and well behaved man she had once called her brother and husband.

"I was annoyed with it," she answered blandly, eyes still scanning the trees and admiring the deep darkness beneath their leaves.

"Get back inside," Zero growled threateningly.

Kana looked over her shoulder boredly and met Zero's narrowed eyes unwaveringly. "No," she replied monotonously.

Zero's cheek twitched and his teeth clenched.

Removing her attention from Zero, she tilted her head up to the night sky and closed her eyes. "You can tell me to go back all you would like, Mr. Prefect, but I don't plan on listening. Kaname is in that classroom and I have no desire to be anywhere near him."

"Then go back to the dorms."

"I don't want to," she answered in a stubborn but soft, sing-song sigh.

He was growing irritated and the urge to pull his Bloody Rose from his side to threaten the vampire in front of him with was growing with each second. His irritation was only made worse by the fact that he wanted to talk to her... No, that wasn't right, he didn't _want_ to talk to her, but he did want answers about Tristan and why he couldn't stop thinking about him.. or her.

"Where were you yesterday," Kana asked curiously.

"None of your business, now get back to class," Zero ordered authoritatively, not willing to actually divulge the truth.

"I already said I wasn't going to, didn't I?" She retorted snobbishly with a challenging, arrogant smirk.

"Then I'll take you to the Headmaster, he can deal with you because I sure as hell don't want to."

"That's assuming that you can catch me first," she replied with a teasing smile and a wink before slipping from the ledge she sat on.

Her feet touched down without a sound and when she looked back up to see Zero staring angrily down at her, she waved before casually strolling into the trees.

Zero stared after her for several moments, he had been gone the entire day before because he had spent the entire day in the library housed within the depths of the Vampire Hunter Association. He had been searching for something that would help him understand why the name Tristan had sounded so familiar to him. He had found more than he had anticipated in the worn and aged texts he had read through. Actually, he had learned more than he had really wanted to.

The name Tristan belonged to a hunter that had lived centuries ago during the first war between the humans and the vampires. He was the first hunter to ever suggest that there could be peace between the two races. A pureblood vampire had heard about this man and his idea and had approached him with a desire to help make the idea reality. Little was known about the identity of the pureblood, but it was known that it was a woman and that she was of high rank, which wasn't a surprise given the fact she was a pureblood.

He had heard the story as a child, but he hadn't recalled the name of the Hunter until he had scanned over an old version of it. Scanning over pieces of it to refresh his memory, he was reminded that Tristan was killed before his idea could be made reality though he, and the pureblood he was working, with had apparently made a lot of progress. The progress made was destroyed by the death of the Hunter at the hands of a vampire. The one to have killed him was none other than the first pureblood king, Kaname Kuran. Kana's husband and brother. Throughout the entire story though, Kana's name wasn't mentioned even once.

The book had contained dates, and despite having now remembered who Tristan was, he wanted more information. It felt as if there was something that he was missing, something very important that compelled him to keep searching. The shock he received when he found more information was more than he had bargained for. He had found the name Tristan in an old book of family trees and when he had traced his name back to the clan he belonged to, he couldn't help but to stare at it, thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him. According to the book, Tristan belonged to the Kiryu clan. The very same clan he descended from. It explained why the man in his vision had resembled him.

That wasn't where the surprises ended, he had found a book with an account of what had happened to the original queen of the vampire race, Kana Kuran. Being a Hunter he was well aware of the story that surrounded the death of the first vampire queen who had, for reasons of her own, given her body to the Hunters. Many believed that she was tired of living amidst all of the death that her own husband was responsible for, that out of all of the other vampires, she was the only one who believed that peace between the two races was possible. There were several different accounts of her death, but only in one she didn't shatter into dust, instead her body had disappeared before the last drop of blood could be taken from her. What had really captured his interest and attention though, was the dates. If the dates in the books could be believed, Kana's death had supposedly occurred within only a few days of Tristan's.

He had attempted to find anything that linked the two people, but he couldn't find anything and left feeling there was still something that he was missing. Now as he watched Kana disappear into the forest he wondered why he couldn't bring himself to hate her, why it was so easy to hate the rest of her kind, but not her. He also didn't know why it was that he felt he needed to know more about her, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get rid of the feeling.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he deftly leapt over the edge of the balcony and landed in a crouch in the grass before taking off after the pureblood he couldn't just let run free around the school grounds.

* * *

Blinking at a disheveled and annoyed Zero and a smug looking Kana, Headmaster Cross set his pen down on his desk and watched as Zero pulled faced Kana into his office and practically threw her into a chair that she gracefully glided into.

"Um... What happened," Cross asked slowly.

Zero twitched while Kana smiled and shrugged innocently.

"Right," the Headmaster drawled. "Zero, care to explain?"

"She was skipping class," he grunted simply.

"But why do you have leaves in your hair," Headmaster Cross inquired curiously.

Twitching again, Zero ran his hand through his hair to shake free several dry green leaves that floated serenely to the floor. Kana stifled a giggle and put a hand to her mouth to hide it while looking out the window as guiltlessly as she could manage.

"No reason," he growled, not in the mood to divulge the fact that he misjudged the stability of a rickety old tree trunk he had attempted to use to push himself off of to try to gain more speed. This had resulted in the tree trunk, that he now knew to be hollow, to give out beneath his weight so that he wound up falling into the pile of leaves that had blown up against it over the years. Of course his pride wasn't made to feel any better when Kana began laughing at him before attempting to help him out. He had refused her help, he didn't need the help of a vampire after all, and started to stand only to slide and fall back into the pile of leaves. Of course this only made Kana laugh harder at him.

"Just punish her already, I'm going to take a shower," Zero snapped irritably, spinning on his heel and heading for the door.

Cross jumped when the door slammed behind Zero before sighing and looking over at Kana who was smiling at him. The young looking girl abruptly hopped up from her chair and skipped towards the door.

"Kana," Cross called, but the girl ignored him and continued on her way. "This is proving to be more troublesome than I expected."

* * *

"You seem awfully happy, lady Kana," Sora observed, watching Kana as she sat down beside him on her couch and smiled at him. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"Not really," she answered, leaning forward to pluck a cup of tea from the table and take a delicate sip from it.

Sora and Riku shared a curious glance, but said nothing further as the three relaxed and drank their tea in silence.

* * *

Over the next several weeks Kana continued to skip classes and then happily force Zero to track her down and haul her back to the Headmaster's office. These trips normally ended with Kana escaping from the Headmaster's office before she could be reprimanded or punished or playing dumb and asking trivial questions about random things. Kaname would then attempt to reprimand her, but she never listened and began to ignore his existence with a smugness that let him know she was either beginning to remember their past or at the very least the fact that she hated him.

During that time, she remained fairly stable only losing her composure on a few occasions when Kaname was pressing her to behave. Her attitude became rather playful and cheerful otherwise and the aura that surrounded her reflected that. It was light and warm, child like almost it felt so pure.

Sora and Riku had noticed this and had noticed her affinity for Zero, they weren't pleased, but they didn't do anything. The aura that Kana was emitting, though stable, wasn't the aura of the Kana they knew. It was a part of her aura, but it was a part that had temporarily taken control and would eventually lose control. When that happened they had no idea what side of Kana they would be presented with.

After three weeks of running after Kana and dragging her to the Headmaster only to have her evade ever being punished or reprimanded, Zero gave up on hauling her to the man he deemed as completely useless. He also knew there was no point anyway so he dragged her to the Moon Dorms every night for the next week and waited until she disappeared into the building before leaving. Yuuki was growing more and more mad at him because he was never around during their patrols which meant that any time she caught someone out of class she had to handle it all on her own and she wasn't nearly as intimidating as he was.

Having grown used to this nightly routine, Kana began to grow bored of being chased around the Academy and so tonight she didn't bother to sit on the usual balcony that Zero would always find her on before their game began. Instead, she decided to turn the tables and sneak up on the prefect as he was walking around the Academy building, towards the Headmaster's home.

"Evening," she chirped, appearing to be melting out of the door.

Not amused with her sudden appearance, Zero pulled his Bloody Rose from his side and pointed it at her chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sneaking," she replied playfully. "I'm tired of being chased so I thought I'd change it up tonight. How do you feel about being chased?"

Zero tilted a brow at her. "Not happening, now lets go," he said, grabbing a hold of her arm and tugging her towards the gate that blocked the path to the Moon Dorms.

"But it's too early to go back dorms," she whined stubbornly, pulling her arm from Zero's grasp and folding both of arms over her chest to show her unhappiness with his suggestion.

"I don't care, you're not supposed to be roaming around the grounds and you know it. I've told you that every night for the last month," Zero snapped in annoyance.

"Well then by now you should have learned that I'm not going to listen to you," she replied flippantly, skipping a few feet away and smiling.

"Why are you so intent on making my life a living hell? I've got better things to do with my time then chase you around the school every night."

"Then don't chase me," she suggested with a shrug.

"I wouldn't have to if you went to class like you're supposed to," Zero snapped.

"Or if you just let me follow you around," she replied, giving him an expectant look.

"No. Get back to the dorms if you're not going to go to class."

Sighing, Kana pouted slightly. "You're being mean."

Zero resisted the urge to roll his eyes and fixed her with yet another annoyed glare. "Just go to the dorms already or I'll take you to the Headmaster. I'm not in the mood for this tonight."

Kana studied Zero for several moments, the playful air that surrounded her fading away to be replaced with a heavier sensation that reminded him that despite how playful and innocent she seemed, she was dangerous.

"You've begun to have attacks, haven't you?" Kana asked seriously. "They've gotten worse this last month since I've arrived, am I right?"

His teeth ground together and he scowled spitefully at Kana. "It's none of your business."

Her face remained impassive, but her head tilted slightly to the side. "Do you want it," she inquired, a sultry note in her voice as she exposed her neck to him. "It's my presence, my blood that is causing you to have more frequent attacks. If you want my blood that badly, Zero.. Take it."

He didn't move, but his narrowed eyes hardened coldly. "Lets go," he growled, roughly grabbing her by the arm and starting to tug her towards the gate leading to the Moon Dorms.

"Zero?"

Kana tensed and knew Zero noticed when his hand tightened its grasp on her arm and he gave her a warning look. It was no real secret that Kana didn't like Yuuki, she refused to acknowledge her existence and any time that they ran into her during their nightly games the aura that surrounded her that was usually light and playful, like a child's almost, turned cold, sharp and heavy.

"Ah, there you are," Yuuki cried in exasperation, rounding a corner and not yet noticing Kana's petite form besides Zero's. "I've been looking all over for you, you can't keep-" She stopped and froze when she realized that Kana was standing beside Zero, her crimson eyes icy slits.

"What do you want, Yuuki," Zero asked exasperatedly.

"I..." The young girl looked like she was going to back down, but then bristled and looked at Kana with what was supposed to be a stern look. "You know you really shouldn't cause so much trouble for Zero, he's got a job to be doing. You should follow the rules like everyone else, I know you're a pureblood, but that doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want."

"No," Kana inquired darkly, a single brow tilting ever so slightly.

"I'm handling it, Yuuki," Zero snapped. "Lets go," he growled at Kana, tugging her towards the Moon Dorms once again.

"But we can't keep letting her get away with skipping class and breaking school rules. She causes everyone a lot of trouble, especially Kaname-senpai."

Kana hissed through clenched teeth and before Zero could do anything to stop her, she had dissolved from his side and was gliding through the air towards Yuuki who hadn't even realized the pureblood had moved. At least not until a white clad back appeared in front of her that she could clearly sense anger radiating from. Blinking in confusion, Yuuki looked up to see that it was Kaname who had stepped in front of her and despite the lack of emotion on his face she could see that he was angry, it was obvious in the red glow of his eyes. Still not sure why he was standing in front of her so suddenly, she peaked around him to see that Kana stood inches in front her long hair blowing around in her face even though there was no breeze and her own eyes glowing red. Her delicate hand was raised and the well manicured fingernails had grotesquely begun to extend to needle-like points.

A feral hiss slipped past her lips, but Kana retracted her hand and regarded Kaname harshly. She spoke to him in a low voice that even Yuuki couldn't hear despite being only feet away.

"I don't give a damn what this little girl is supposed to be, I will kill her if she thinks she can order me around. I am the original Kuran princess, I will not allow her to take my place."

"If you touch her, I'll be forced to retaliate, Kana. I won't stand for someone harming anything that is precious to me," Kaname replied.

Yuuki gasped when the temperature dropped so drastically that ice began to form around Kana's feet and frost even began to coat bits of her hair. Her eyes widened when the vampire disappeared and she screamed when she reappeared beside she and Kaname, long nails aiming to pierce Kaname's shoulder. Anticipating this, Kaname stepped aside and grabbed Kana's wrist, wrenching it up and eliciting an aggravated cry from the woman's red lips.

He barely even knew what he was doing, all he knew was that if left alone things would escalate beyond anything anyone could control. Sensing the approach of two other vampires, Zero ignored his instincts which wanted him to aim his gun for them and instead ran forward and raised his gun so that it was only a few inches from Kaname's temple.

Sora and Riku had appeared in the same instant, Riku in front of his mistress, his hand unwaveringly grasping Kaname's that had Kana's bent backwards awkwardly while Sora appeared at her side. He put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm or at least keep from attacking again and realize what she was doing.

"Yuuki, go inside," Zero ordered roughly, his eyes not once leaving Kaname's face.

"B-But-"

"It's alright, Yuuki. I just said something I shouldn't have," Kaname spoke up soothingly. "You should do as Kiryu suggested and wait inside."

"A-alright," the young girl stuttered nervously, turning she skittered off towards the Academy building and the Headmaster's office.

"Release me," Kaname demanded coldly, eyes locked with Riku's who didn't show an ounce of fear despite the vast difference in power between them.

"Not until you release Kana," he countered with a mocking smile.

Kaname released Kana's hand and it fell to her side where it fisted so tightly that not only did her knuckles turn white but her sharp nails bit into her flesh and blood began to drip from between her fingers. Zero fidgeted uncomfortably, but did his best to ignore the churning of the hungry beast inside of him.

"How dare you," Kana hissed fiercely. "Protect the things that are precious to you, are you joking? You have never protected anything but yourself and your selfish desire to completely dominate and own anything you deem as yours. You have never protected the things you claim are precious to you, the things you claim to love."

"That's not true, Kana, I-"

"Don't tell me what is true and what is not," she screamed, her head finally rising and her eyes meeting Kaname's. The crimson orbs were swimming with rage and betrayal to the point that she almost looked crazed. "I know your heart and I know the truth that lies within it, don't you ever forget that. I know who you are, Kaname," she murmured bitterly. "I know better than anyone else ever could and I have seen just how black your heart really is." Her hands were still fisted at her sides and they began to shake slightly the muscles were so strained. Even the veins in her wrists were beginning to stick out against her pale skin.

"This is a conversation that would be better had in private, Kana," Kaname said, pointedly glancing at Zero and his ever present scowl.

"I will not be ordered about by a man who no longer has a claim on me. You have no right to give me orders, I am not your wife and I refuse to acknowledge you as my brother. You may be the pureblood king, Kaname, but don't forget that I was once the queen. I do not need to, nor will I ever, bow down to you. No one even knows who you are, Kaname, who do you think they'll follow if I were to announce my awakening, hm?" She paused for a moment to give Kaname a deviously sweet smile. "It won't be you," she finished defiantly.

There were several seconds of silence before a harsh laugh slipped from Kana's red lips. "What's wrong, Kaname? You want to attack me, don't you? To teach me a lesson for defying you? I may be weakened, but lay a single finger on me and I will kill you," she snarled.

"So you really do hate me this much," Kaname said softly.

"Don't try to make me feel guilty this time, it won't work. I'm not the one who should feel guilty, I didn't murder countless people for no reason, I didn't attack a Hunter who had no weapons and kill him for trying to end a war that was nothing more than a meaningless reason to slaughter people."

"Tristan," Zero said without realizing he had spoken, the name had just slipped from his lips in his surprise at hearing Kana talk about a brutally murdered Hunter. "Tristan Kiryu."

Kana jolted, her eyes widening as she turned to Zero in surprise at hearing the full name of a man she could only vaguely remember now. Her memories grew hazy again and the events of the last several minutes began to grow unfocused. "What," she asked shakily.

"You knew him, didn't you?" Zero inquired.

She shook her head and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath that only got stuck in her throat when visions of a handsome man with silvery white hair and bluish eyes that almost appeared purple began to flash over her eyelids.

"My lady, you need to calm down," Sora whispered softly in Kana's ear, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to steady her.

The visions of the handsome man kept playing over and over again as the world around her began to grow windy and the ground began to tremble beneath the weight of her unstable emotions. When the visions stopped and she was left with a single still image, she let out an anguished cry that made Sora tighten his grip on her and close his eyes sadly. Riku stepped towards her as well and put an arm around her slim waist, closing his eyes as he rested his head against hers as her shoulders began to shake and her knees grew weak.

The three vanished in a sudden gust of wind that forced Zero to shield his eyes to avoid the dirt that was stirred up. When the gust died down everything felt too still, too quiet. As if none of it were even real.

No reason to stay since he had no reason to speak to Zero, Kaname turned away from the silver haired prefect and began to walk calmly towards the Academy building.

Zero watched him go and lowered his gun, his mind was reeling from the words that the two purebloods had exchanged. It was obvious to him that Kana felt Kaname was her brother, her true brother and her husband from centuries before, but that shouldn't have been possible. The Kaname Kuran that had once ruled over the vampire race had long since fallen into a state of sleep so deep that it would require a great sacrifice to wake him. Even then the pureblood would have been asleep so long he would have gone mad and on a rampage because of the centuries he had gone without blood. Nothing like that had happened.

He didn't see how it could be possible for the Kaname Kuran that was walking away from him as if he didn't exist, to be anything other than the son of Haruka and Juri Kuran that was named after the first king, their ancestor. Yet Kana seemed to believe wholeheartedly that he was her brother, her husband and the first king of the vampire race that had been anything but kind.

He grimaced and grabbed at his chest when his heartbeat painfully reminded him that he was thirsty. Kana's blood had stirred the beast that was slowly taking over his mind and body, the smell had been enticing and now all he wanted was to taste it, devour it like a mindless animal. His eyes began to glow as they were drawn to the blood that was on the ground from the wounds Kana had inflicted upon her palms.

Grunting, his hand continued to clutch at his shirt as he stumbled towards the Headmaster's home that was attached to the Academy. It was the only place he knew he could have privacy as he overcame the powerful urges that were driving him to the brink of insanity.

* * *

Nearly an entire week passed before Kana would leave her room after her argument with Kaname. The strain that her missing memories was taking was clearly showing on her pale face. Her eyes looked bruised and lifeless and the smile that used to appear every few minutes was nowhere to be found. She refused to speak to Kaname or even look at him if he tried to visit her and ignored the rest of the night class entirely.

When she finally accompanied the rest of the students to class once again, she walked between Sora and Riku, her arm lazily looped through Sora's and her head on his shoulder as she stared blankly ahead of them. Only when she noticed Zero grumpily eying a row of overly enthusiastic Day class girls, did her eyes leave the path ahead. She studied him, looking for something that she couldn't quite place, but her eyes kept finding their way to his. The lavender orbs were hauntingly familiar to her, she knew the name of the person that she saw Zero, knew what had happened to him, but she didn't know why she felt so horribly betrayed or even why she felt so guilty whenever she thought of him.

While looking over the silver haired prefect, Kana noticed the extra tension in his shoulders, the slight tint to his eyes and the ripple of hunger that radiated from him. He was coming very close to the time that he would no longer be able to fight the urges he was trying so hard to ignore. It would be a matter of days now before he would need to drink real blood or end up insane from the strength of the urges he was fighting so desperately even now.

"My lady," Sora asked quietly, noticing her brief departure from reality into the realm of her thoughts.

She hummed and looked up quizzically at him.

"Is everything alright," he inquired.

She nodded. "Yes, fine. I'm not feeling very well, excuse me."

Releasing Sora's arm as they stepped in to the Academy building, Kana wandered off down a dim hall. Within seconds, she was sitting high atop the school, chin tilted back so that her hair blew out behind her in the night breeze and the moon's glow bathed her pale face. She sat alone on the balcony, admiring the many stars that peppered the night sky.

After waiting for nearly an hour to see if Zero would attempt to haul her back to her class or the dorms, Kana slipped off of the cool stone and began to glide through the grounds. When she spotted Zero, he was walking dutifully towards the entrance to the Headmaster's private home.

She was about to make her presence known when she realized that something wasn't right. Zero's eyes had taken on a reddish glow and he appeared to be having a hard time breathing. He was clutching at his chest and staggering slightly as he made his way towards the door that would lead him into the Headmaster's.

She studied Zero's back with a frown, in the last month since she had arrived Zero had had several 'attacks'. The side of him that was being overtaken by the vampire he was slowly becoming was making itself known and it was telling him that it wanted blood. She wasn't sure how many attacks he had before she arrived, but they were gaining frequency from what she could tell which meant that he was very close to giving into the vampiric urges that were likely driving him to the brink of insanity.

Disappearing from her spot, she appeared in front of Zero, blocking his way into the Headmaster's. "You must be very strong to be able to handle the attacks so well, but it's only a matter of time, Zero, before you-"

"Shut up," he growled. "Mind your own damned business."

He attempted to walk past her, but her small hand curled firmly around his arm. Despite the fact she was several inches shorter than him and looked extremely fragile, her grasp was incredibly strong.

"How bad have the attacks become, Zero? How much longer do you think you can deny-"

"Let go of me," Zero hissed, trying to pull his arm fruitlessly out of her grasp.

"It's my blood you want, isn't it," she asked casually, as if they were discussing nothing more than the weather.

Angered and extremely volatile at the moment, Zero hastily pulled his Bloody Rose from his side and raised it so that it was less than an inch from Kana's temple. Kana didn't flinch or act as if she had even noticed, however, two figures had appeared on either side of Zero and were menacingly staring at him.

"Let go of me," Zero hissed again. "And call off your henchmen. I'm in a bad mood at the moment and any excuse to kill a few monsters would be gladly accepted."

Kana glanced at both Sora and Riku and nodded minutely. They both stepped away from Zero and stood on either side of Kana, watching every single movement that Zero made regardless of how small.

"Zero, you can't keep ignoring-"

"I said let go," Zero barked harshly.

"Fine," Kana replied sharply, releasing his arm abruptly.

The arm that held up the Bloody Rose dropped heavily to Zero's side as he sneered at Kana and stalked the rest of the way to the Headmaster's door.

"I know how badly the two of you would like to rip him apart at the moment," Kana said, her eyes still on the door that Zero was opening and walking through. "But neither one of you is to lay a hand on him. He's going through something that we could never even begin to imagine."

"That doesn't excuse his actions," Sora stated coldly.

"Nothing could excuse his actions," Riku added harshly.

"Did I not make myself clear," Kana inquired, her voice as sing song as usual with a dark, cold tone beneath it. Her hair blew around her face despite the lack of a night breeze and the air grew dense and chill. "Do not touch him."

Both men inclined their heads respectfully to show they understood her words.

Taking a deep breath, Kana looped an arm through Sora's and Riku's and began the journey back to the Moon Dorms. Classes were still in session, but she didn't care. The three of them were well educated as it was, much of the information being passed onto them was trivial and redundant in her opinion.

"I do believe, my dears, that I heard someone mention something about a holiday where girls make chocolates for boys they like," Kana said a few minutes later as they neared the dorms.

There was silence for a moment, Kana's moods had been quite changeable in the past week and they weren't sure what to make of this most recent mood swing. A quick glance was shared between the brothers who both deemed it best to ignore the mood swing and to go along it.

"But you don't know how to make chocolates," Riku pointed out.

"She doesn't know how to make anything," Sora added.

"She knows how to make trouble."

Sora nodded. "True. She's quite good at it too."

"But you know, Sora.. Lady Kana has always had good taste, even if she didn't make the chocolates herself they're probably high quality and really good."

"That's a good point, Riku. I guess it wouldn't be so bad to get chocolates from lady Kana after all."

"Whoever said anything about chocolates for you two," Kana said stiffly, they had by now reached the dorms and Kana's room. "You're supposed to _like_ whomever you give chocolate to." She released their arms and attempted to dash down the hall to her room, but Riku caught her around the waist and spun her back around so that Sora could tickle her sides.

The whole thing was just pure, innocent fun and wasn't something that the group had often indulged in. Their laughter drifted down the hall, greeting the Night Class as they returned from their classes for the night.

Later, after their laughter had died down and the trio was lying on Kana's bed, Kana's mood sobered and she sighed heavily.

"I don't want to watch him destroy himself or see him hurt and lose the things he cares for. It's unfair," Kana murmured, staring up at the ceiling as if the darkness held all the answers to the many unanswered questions she had.

"The prefect," Riku asked, a slight note of disgust in his voice.

"Yes. He didn't ask or agree to be made a vampire, the pureblood that bit him did so for revenge on his family. A family she mercilessly slaughtered after biting him." Her hands fisted where the lay beneath her head. "She had no right to even touch the Kiryu's. None."

"What's been done, has been done, my lady," Sora replied. "There's no point on dwelling on the past when you can't change it. The boy was dealt an unfair hand by Fate, but there's nothing you can do about that."

"Besides," Riku spoke up. "It's not like the brat would allow you to help him. He hates our kind."

"He has a good reason to hate us, Riku," Kana countered. "The things he's been through and will go through have been brought about because of our race. He's suffered a great deal and his suffering will only get worse as time goes on. It's sad, he hates the vampire race, purebloods especially, you can see it in his eyes, but he's turning into one of those beings. He hates himself and what he's becoming and he's aware of just what he will eventually become..."

"You can't help him, lady Kana," Sora said quietly.

Kana remained quiet and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'll admit that it is unfair, but you should leave him alone. Even if you could help him, he wouldn't allow it," Riku agreed.

"Perhaps," Kana murmured softly.

Turning on to her side, Kana rested her head against Sora's chest and curled comfortable against him. The blue eyed man exchanged a look with his green eyed twin and knew that he wasn't the only one to know that Kana wouldn't just leave Zero to his fate if she could do anything at all to prevent it. She was much too kind hearted to sit idly by and watch someone suffer.

Riku pulled a blanket over Kana who hadn't bothered to change out of her uniform and laid beside her, stroking her long hair as she drifted to sleep.

The following night, Kana once again skipped classes, but she didn't venture far. Zero was more unstable by far than he had been the night before and Kana thought that she would try to one more time to talk to him. The door to the Academy opened and Kana watched as a pair of feet stepped inside and turned before stopping when the owner noticed her presence.

"How are you feeling," Kana asked, glancing up at the scowling prefect from her seat on the steps inside of the darkened Academy.

"Get out of the way," he demanded icily.

She stayed where she was, not at all bothered by the glare she received that could have turned ice to steam in seconds. Cocking her head, Kana studied Zero carefully. "The true nature of a vampire, Zero, is a very scary thing to behold" she told him calmly. "We are beings that follow their instincts, that live off of the blood of others and we are not naturally kind."

"You're all evil bastards, I'm aware."

"Evil has many meanings... " Kana replied placidly. "We are not inherently evil, we are what you have called us in the past.. Beasts that were given a human form. We were born into forms similar to those of humans, but that is really where our similarities end. Our genetic makeup is completely different. Even we don't know why we were brought into existence, but we are not an _evil_ race. We didn't chose to be what we are, that doesn't however change _what_ we are. We are creatures that love darkness, that live by devouring the blood of humans, and that are more apt to follow their instincts and do as they dictate rather than follow our emotions or our heart. Your instincts, Zero, are not instincts that you were born with. You do not know how to control them and if you continue to cling to your humanity, you _will_ go insane and you _will_ die at the hands of your own comrades... That's assuming you don't kill yourself first."

Zero glared at her, but said nothing as he roughly stepped past her, knocking into her as he climbed the stairs. Listening to her talk, he had become increasingly aware of the throb of her pulse beneath the thin skin of her pale neck. In turn he became aware of the intensity of the thirst he was trying desperately to ignore. He was a human, not a monster, and he would never be like them.

"I know you want to remain human, Zero, but that option is not open to you. You need to drink before you hurt someone, because I guarantee you that if you do not willingly drink you will hurt and possibly kill someone important to you. Do you really want that on your conscious?" Kana asked, her eyes still staring ahead of her.

He completely ignored her and continued up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Zero, but I wasn't wrong..." The word were little more than whispers, but Zero still heard them and hesitated briefly, his hand clenching around the wood banister, but the moment passed quickly.

Sighing, Kana brushed her hair out of her eyes and then let her hands fall to her lap where she absently let them fidget while she stared at the step below her. Her eyes closed when she heard Zero stumble at the landing of the second floor. She could hear his labored breathing and the strained beating of his heart.

His footsteps echoed down the stairs as he tried to climb another flight only to get halfway up before staggering into a wall. The presence of another person had long ago been noticed by her keen senses and when the unsuspecting brunette girl began to descend the steps, her surprised gasp was loud enough that even without her superior senses, Kana would have heard it.

"Z-Zero?" Yuuki's uncertain stutter hung in the air that had suddenly stilled and quieted.

"I told you to stay away from me," Zero grunted through breaths that were becoming raspy and short.

"What..."

"Don't look, Yuuki."

"W-wait, Zero," Yuuki protested uncertainly.

Seconds later the scent of blood wafted through the air and Kana sighed sadly, her chin falling slightly into her chest as she did so.

Barely a minute passed before Kaname's voice drifted down to her, his anger was palpable in the air and his tone was fierce as he spoke to Kiryu with every intention of killing him. However, Yuuki had shakily spoke up for her long time friend and stopped Kaname from harming Zero in any way. The girl had lost consciousness a few seconds later and Kaname had carried her off to take care of her.

Kana's hands fisted and her jaw clenched angrily at the kindness that Kaname was showing the little girl he had agreed to marry. Her anger, unlike Kaname's burning hot rage, was frosty and caused her breath to come out in little puffs of smoke as little bits of ice appeared on her hair and the tips of her long lashes.

"K-Kana?" Cross stuttered a few moments later as he escorted a bloodied Zero down the stairs so he could take him back to his dorm room. "What are you doing here? You should be-"

"I told you, didn't I," she cut in, her voice unusually venomous. She turned her head and allowed the two people behind her to see the reddish glow her eyes had taken on. "You should understand now, what I meant when I said you wouldn't be able to cling to your humanity. You are one of us, Zero, a beast in human form and you will never again be anything else."

Zero attempted to pull his gun from his coat pocket in anger, but he was sluggish due the shock he was still recovering from due to his own actions. He barely touched the cold metal of the gun before Kana's cold hand wrapped around his throat and he found himself roughly slammed into the wall unable to move even a single muscle.

Kana continued as if she had never been interrupted. "You need blood and you will bite someone again, probably that little girl that you and Kaname both share such a fond spot for. I find it interesting that he didn't kill you on the spot, he must have some use for you, because I find it hard to believe that he would heed the request of that naïve little brat when he has never once done a single thing I asked."

Her anger was growing more and more with each second that past, so much so that Sora and Riku left the classroom they were in abruptly to go to her side. Neither boy had failed to notice the sent of blood and it was no surprise to either one to see Zero's face splotched with red and his shirt stained with the same color liquid. By the look on his face, he looked to still be in a state of shock over his own actions and was unable to say anything in response to Kana's words.

"My lady," Sora inquired softly, soothingly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Glancing at Sora with slight irritation, Kana ignored him and looked back at Zero only to flinch as she saw not Zero, but the face of a man that closely resembled him. It too was splattered in crimson and frozen in shock. She released her hold on Zero and stumbled back a step, her eyes wide and her hands shaking as she stared at the silver haired prefect. Several blood stained images flooded her mind and screams echoed in her head, she clenched her eyes shut and put her hands over her ears. It was a feeble attempt to stop seeing and hearing the bits and pieces of a past that kept slipping through her fingers like mist.

* * *

~A/N~

Just want to make sure that everyone knows I appreciate every review I receive, even if I don't reply to them. I'm not always getting the alerts that let me know when I get a review, or anything else for that matter. Apparently it's been an ongoing problem with Aol and a few other providers. Anywho, THANK YOU for all the reviews!

So on a completely unrelated note, I took my online English final today and was marked wrong for a bunch of right answers. I'm not only confused, but a little mad. I mean unless I missed something the proper way to say something like: "The car was moving towards Sheila and I" would be just that, but the test says you should say "Sheila and me". Is that right? That's not what I was taught. I also got marked wrong for selecting 'are' instead of 'is' for a sentence where she wanted us to choose which one would be right. "The three students 'are' on the honor roll"... was wrong. What the heck?

I'm done venting. Sorry.

Please review! Please, please, please! Oh and wish me luck on my math final.


	7. Chapter 7 Opening the Gate

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 7**

**Opening the Gate **

"_Leave me be, I don't want to argue, I'd just get confused and I come all undone"_

After her breakdown in front of Zero, Kana had retreated to her room where she stayed until the following morning. Kaname had left her alone much to her surprise, she had figured he would be angry with her for not stopping what had happened in the stairwell between Zero and his precious Yuuki. Yet he hadn't even attempted to approach her, he had left her in peace. Despite the fact she was glad to be left alone the fact that Kaname had said nothing to her made her curious as to why. As she wandered down the hall in search of a glass of water she made a mental note to keep an eye on his actions towards Zero, it didn't seem right to her that after Zero bit his precious fiancé, and she had allowed it, that Kaname would remain silent. The Kaname she knew never would have left things be.

She hummed, her head turning towards the couch and chairs set up in the main room as she began her descent down to the first floor. The normally overly perky blond Aido Hanabusa lounged on one of the expensive couches while two scholarly looking men sat across from him. Both men looked up at her, blinking dumbly as they went speechless in response to seeing one of the most beautiful creatures they had ever seen walking elegantly down the steps in a knee length black silk nightgown and a matching robe tied loosely at her waist.

Aido looked over his shoulder, surprised not only by the fact that she was alone but that she wasn't in room. "M-Morning, Kana-sama," he stammered.

"Morning," she replied blandly before raising a delicate hand to cover mouth as she yawned while continuing her way across the room and towards the large kitchen without another glance at the men or Aido.

Filling a glass with cool water, Kana leaned into the sparkling counter top as she sipped at her beverage. A slight commotion in the main room roused her from her rather blank state and she blinked, setting the glass down she made her way back into the main room where she stayed in the shadows that the overhang from the second floor cast. She watched with a growing smirk as the annoying little prefect Yuuki stuttered to Aido that she wished to see Kaname.

Aido didn't appear to really care and stepped past the obviously uncomfortable girl, his hand snatching a bandage off of her thin neck so quickly she never even noticed. He then began to question her about who had bitten her and why it was that Kaname seemed to give her so much more attention and kindness than anyone else.

Kana continued to watch and let the scene play out as Aido's anger grew and ice began to form around Yuuki's feet effectively freezing her in place. It was obvious the girl was frightened, but she was trying to appear to be strong and not show weakness to the vampire that was advancing on her asking her why it was she, a little human girl, was so special.

Kana lost track of the conversation when she sensed Kaname moving, turning her back on Aido and Yuuki as Aido began to taunt the brown haired girl about offering her blood to Kaname in return for rescuing her from another vampire. She assumed Yuuki had told Aido of how she had been rescued by Kaname when she was a young child and left alone for reasons she didn't yet know in the middle of a barren snow scape. As she stepped back through the door the ice around Yuuki disappeared though neither she nor Aido immediately noticed.

Walking back to her glass of water, Kana picked it up and refilled it before making her way out of the kitchen and back towards the stairwell in the now empty main room. She turned down the hall not failing to notice Kaname leaning casually into the wall by his door. Without bothering to cast a glance at the handsome vampire lord, she walked nonchalantly past him with every intention of going to her room without saying a word to him. Her plan was ruined when he spoke to her.

"You shouldn't have allowed Aido to act the way he did."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied smoothly.

"Then why cover for him?"

"Still don't know what you're talking about," she replied blandly.

"You melted his ice that-"

She stopped walking and looked back at Kaname with slight annoyance. "I am free to do as I please. If I want to watch that little girl panic and stutter like a useless mouse being chased by a cat, then I will."

"She-"

"Doesn't deserve my kindness," Kana cut in bitterly, snorting. "She gets enough of that from you. After all you did allow Zero to live after he bit her. Your precious little Yuuki was bitten by another vampire, Kaname, yet you let the offending low level abomination off with no punishment because your _darling_ little girl stopped you from doing anything. How docile you appear to have become," she cooed mockingly, smirking when his hand fisted at his side. "You can only hide it for so long, dear brother, sooner or later that annoyingly naïve little child will realize just how very kind you are."

Uninterested in remaining in the presence of the former vampire ruler, Kana sniffed arrogantly and returned to her rooms. Stepping up to the window in the living room, she pushed the curtain aside, hissing as the brightness of the early morning sun attacked her eyes that were more accustomed to darkness. The annoying sensation dissipated quickly as her vision adapted to the brightness and allowed her to clearly see the two people striding down the walkway back towards the Academy.

Her eyes focused on the silvery haired prefect as he paused in his walk to pull something from his pocket. Eyes narrowing, Kana's keen eyes immediately noted that the gun was one designed specifically to harm vampires. He handed the weapon to an astonished looking Yuuki who hesitantly took it with a fearful look in her big brown eyes. Eyes flashing a bright crimson, Kana turned away from the window with a snort and let the heavy curtain fall back into place, plunging the room back into darkness.

* * *

Days passed before Kana bothered to leave the darkness and solitude of her own rooms. Nothing interested her, not classes, not being in Kaname's presence and certainly not being the presence of the other vampires who were all annoyingly suspicious of her and did nothing to hide the fact.

The night she finally ventured out of her rooms was one where there were no night class for Cross Academy's Night students, there was, however, a party planned in the back courtyard for one of the Moon Dorm's residents. A birthday party for Takuma Ichijo, the bouncy blond that was one of Kaname's most trusted friends.

Kana originally had had no intention of attending the party, but after hearing the whispers that the prefects were expected to make an appearance, she changed her mind.

Dressed in a crimson corset trimmed with black lace and a long, flowing black skirt that brushed against the ground as she walked, Kana stepped outside and took a seat on one of two couches that had been set up should she or Kaname actually decide to make an appearance. Sora and Riku sat on either side of her. Sora in dark gray slacks, a dark blue dress shirt with a black tie and a gray vest that matched the slacks. The dark colors suited his pale face and dark hair and made his blue eyes practically glow. Riku was dressed a bit more plainly in simple black slacks and a forest green dress shirt that was left untucked and partially unbuttoned.

Kana smirked mischievously and glanced away from the crowd of surprised vampires to demurely cover the chuckle that escaped from her red lips in response to their reaction to her arrival. The entire courtyard had gone completely silent and every single pair of eyes was focused solely on her. No one had expected the pureblood to make an appearance. She had never attempted to socialize with any of them before and had kept to herself, preferring only the company of the handsome twins that rarely left her side.

The smirk remained teasingly on her lips when Takuma walked up the steps to the porch where the couches had been set up to bow to her respectfully.

"Kana-sama," he greeted, the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice that undermined the happy smile on his lips.

"Takuma," Kana replied, dipping her chin to acknowledge him. "I hear that it's your birthday."

"Yes, it is," the blond vampire replied, grinning sheepishly and rubbing at the back of his head.

"Well, happy birthday," she offered. "I hope it's alright if we sit up here and enjoy the party."

"It's my pleasure to have you here," Takuma replied, smiling brightly, ever the perfect host.

Kana smiled back. "Thank you."

"If you'll excuse me, I should get back to my guests," Takuma said, glancing over his shoulder as Kain and Aido walked away from the gathered vampires and towards the entrance of the dormitory.

Sighing once he had walked away, Kana leaned into Riku and without a care placed her legs over Sora so that she was reclining comfortably, bordering on indecently, on the couch. It was this position that she was in when Zero and Yuuki came into view. They were being led through the courtyard by Kain and Aido to where Takuma was waiting for them.

Crimson eyes following their approach, Kana couldn't repress the smirk that pulled at her lips when Zero looked over at her his irritation with her plain as day on his face. It seemed their confrontation had not been forgotten. Not that she had expected it to be.

She remained where she was, lazily watching the exchange of words taking place not far from her. At first, she had nothing to say and simply listened as the vampire hierarchy was discussed. The conversation focused mainly on ex-human vampires and those that fell to the level of E, or End. The reason for this was because earlier in the day Yuuki and Zero had been witness to the destruction of one that had gone insane with blood lust. Yuuki didn't understand why the vampire had to be killed and why it was that Takuma had been the one to kill him.

A soft growl escaped her throat and crimson eyes narrowed when Kaname stepped around the couch she was lounging on with Sora and Riku. He leaned into one of the stone pillars that supported the upper floor, looking every bit the arrogant man she knew him to be.

"That vampire was killed on my orders," Kaname said, startling Yuuki who spun around to blink at him and blush profusely. "I had received a tip in a report that the vampire might appear in town today and so I sent Ichijo and Shiki to dispatch it."

Murmurs raced through the gathered vampires. No one had expected Kaname to show up at the party and his arrival had caused even more of a stir than hers had.

"K-Kaname-senpai, y-you..." Yuuki stuttered over her words, the blush on her cheeks deepening.

"Yuuki, why didn't you inform the Headmaster of today's events? And why would come to a dangerous place like this regardless of the invitation?" Kaname asked, his eyes flickering over to Kana.

She hissed quietly, her nails sharpening as her anger intensified. The only reason she remained where she was and didn't confront him was the calming hand that was placed on her leg by Sora and the tightening of Riku's arm that was wrapped protectively around her.

"I... I wanted to know for myself.. About what happened and why," she answered Kaname's inquiries.

"Yourself, is that so," he murmured, turning to drop himself onto the open couch. "Yuuki.. come sit beside," he said, putting his hand down on the couch to indicate where he wished her to be.

Caught off guard, Yuuki paled though her cheeks kept a rosy tint. She glanced up at Zero who was scowling off in the opposite direction and then shook her head vehemently. "I'm fine."

"Yuuki," Kaname spoke up sternly.

The young girl squeaked and scampered over to Kaname, but didn't immediately sit down. Instead she fidgeted uncertainly until Kaname grabbed her arm and pulled her down beside him.

"I apologize that you met that vampire at the scene of the hunting," Kaname said to Yuuki, taking Yuuki's right arm in his hands. "You were injured, weren't you? Let me see."

Yuuki tried to pull her arm back, insisting she was fine, but Kaname didn't listen and pushed the sleeve of her jacket up to reveal a large scrape near her elbow.

"It I unfortunate, but in times long past when the war between humans and vampires was at its worst some purebloods would have humans turned in order to strengthen their own forces. After the fighting began to dwindle, the remnants of those created forces were seen as useless and were left to fend for themselves. It has fallen to the noble class to watch after these remnants and to 'take care of them' if need be," Kaname explained, examining the injury to Yuuki's elbow.

"Hunting vampires is the responsibility of Vampire Hunters," Zero said pointedly.

Kaname gave him a side long glance, but ignored the comment as he focused again on Yuuki's injured elbow. "It must have hurt. Allow me take the pain away." Kaname brought her elbow towards his lips and Yuuki froze as his lips gently placed themselves on the injury.

Kana would have ripped Kaname's head from his shoulders regardless of the crowd watching or the consequences that would have followed for the blatant insult to her. Of course, no one else really realized how insulting this display was to her since most vampires present didn't know of her true identity and connection to Kaname. However, Sora had leaned over as she attempted to sit up.

"Calm yourself, my lady," he murmured in her ear, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Now is not the time."

Her eyes narrowed and hands fisted as she glared over her shoulder at Kaname who was purposely avoiding looking in her direction.

"If that is the case, Kiryu, then why didn't kill it?" Kaname asked as he eased Yuuki's arm down and turned his attention back to Zero. "Or is it that you couldn't kill it because-"

"I highly suggest that you stop speaking now," Kana advised in a dark, but calm whisper. Having heard enough and knowing full well that Kaname was only toying with Zero, Kana had stood and made her way behind Kaname in an instant. Leaning coquettishly over the back of the couch, she had interrupted his words without a second thought.

Glancing over his shoulder at the undeniably exquisite vampire, Kaname stared at her for a moment, contemplating her intentions. Turning back to Zero, Kaname spoke again, "It seems I was about to say something I shouldn't. I apologize."

Eyes leaving Kaname's form, Kana looked up at Zero and saw that he had tensed. He knew where Kaname had been going with his words that she had interrupted and she knew that if Kaname had finished that Zero wouldn't have reacted kindly.

Stepping around the couch, Kana approached Zero, ignoring his suspicious glare and looped her arm through his. She tightened her grip when tried to pull away from her. "You might not like it, but it's in you best interest to let me have my way right now," she told him quietly, her head turned so that only he would hear her. "If you don't believe me then look over your shoulder. Everyone is well aware that you were about to attack their precious pureblood leader... Now, come along," she instructed, pulling him towards the couch she had claimed.

He begrudgingly let her pull him away from Yuuki and Kaname and once she released him to fall back onto the couch, he leaned into the same pillar Kaname had a few minutes prior.

"Still angry with me," she inquired aloofly, her eyes cleverly watching his reaction.

He twitched and refused to look at her.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kana sighed childishly. "It was nothing personal, Zero, I simply tried to offer my help and was a bit upset that you ignored it."

"Then maybe you should mind your own business," Zero growled.

Kana shrugged a bare shoulder. "It's not in my nature to sit idly by and watch someone destroy themselves. It doesn't matter to me whether you're human or not, your life still has value."

Zero studied her with narrowed eyes before speaking. "Was his life valuable too? Tristan's?"

Eyes widening, Kana gasped upon hearing the familiar name. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and reply. "Of course it was," she answered sadly.

"... Are you really who you say you are," Zero asked skeptically.

Kana raised her head and met his eyes unwaveringly. "Yes. I am exactly who I have said I am and he," she shot Kaname a dark glare. "Is exactly who I have said he is as well."

His lips pursed together in a deep frown. He was about to say something when the scent of blood filled the air and he tensed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the source of the scent. Takuma's finger had been nicked when Shiki had gone to cut the cake. Shiki was now licking a line of blood from his fingers.

Not only did the scene disgust him, it reminded him of his own need and thirst for blood. Unsettled, Zero quickly left the porch and took off back towards the Academy. Yuuki followed him worriedly seconds later.

Kana sighed as the two disappeared from view and stood up, Sora and Riku did the same. Walking back into the mansion-like dormitory, Kana made her way towards her room with Sora and Riku right behind her.

It didn't surprise her to find Kaname leaning into the wall in by his study which was on the way to her own room and it didn't surprise him that she attempted to ignore him as she passed.

"What is it about Kiryu that makes you so intent to try and save him," Kaname asked. "Is it that he reminds you of someone you couldn't save in the past?"

Kana came to an abrupt halt in the hall, the temperature rising as red hot rage burned to life inside of her. "Sora, Riku, I'll meet you in my rooms in a moment," she said to the twins who rather unwillingly obeyed. "Do you enjoy taunting me, Kaname? Is this all just another one your games to see how I will react when you continually insult me? You've insulted me more than enough for one night, you would be wise to quit before I lose my temper."

"Leave Kiryu to his fate, it's not your problem," Kaname advised blandly.

Looking over her shoulder at him with narrowed eyes, Kana said, "What I do is none of your concern. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that already, did I not?"

"I'm only trying to protect you, Kana."

She snorted mirthlessly. "I am not so weak that I would need you to protect me. Do not forget who it is you're talking to, Kaname. I will tell you again to leave me alone before I lose my temper. I am not in the mood to deal with you. Go and spoil that annoying child you hold so precious."

"Is that why you're angry with me? Because I was kind to Yuuki."

"You are never kind. Not without reason," Kana replied bitterly.

"She is important to me, Kana, I don't want any harm to come to her. I made a promise."

"To hell with your promises, Kaname," she snapped, rounding on him abruptly. "It's not like you keep them," she said, her voice softening almost sadly. Turning away again, she started back towards her room.

"I'm not the only one who has broken promises, Kana."

Anger flaring, she spun back around only to catch a glimpse of Kaname's back a he retreated into his room. She flew after Kaname and a moment later the sound of her palm connecting to his cheek echoed throughout his room.

"Don't you dare turn this around on me. I gave you everything, Kaname. Everything! And what did I get in return except for a bloodthirsty husband who wanted nothing more from me than my body and my blood. I was a tool for you to use however you wanted, a belonging. You never saw me as anything else. I may have broken promises, Kaname, but not before you broke me. You betrayed me before I ever betrayed you."

"Maybe," he replied cryptically.

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply. He was taunting her and she knew it. She also knew that she had no intention of being pulled into a fight that she didn't feel like participating in. She was tired, grumpy and wanted absolutely nothing to do with her dear brother.

She tensed and stared straight ahead of her as he approached her cautiously, lifting a hand to brush her hair off of her shoulder, exposing her neck. His fingers lightly caressed her skin and despite her apprehension, she had a hard time repressing a shiver at his all to familiar touch. But it was a rouse, an attempt to get her to melt guiltily into his arms the way she once had.

"I know I've hurt you, Kana, but I still care about you. I still love you," Kaname told her smoothly, kissing her neck tenderly.

"You never loved me, Kaname," she countered blankly, pulling herself out of his arms and facing him. "You can't use old tricks to placate me. You can't win me over, not this time. My memories may still be hazy, but I know you betrayed me. I know you did something that I will never forgive you for. You know it too, don't you." It was a statement, not a question and she watched him for a reaction.

A reaction she didn't get. He simply strode to the window and said nothing.

"Even if we don't take the past into consideration there's still the fact that you willingly engaged yourself to someone else despite already having a wife. You can say you didn't know I was alive all you'd like, Kaname, but part of you knew. Even if you won't admit it, part of you knew I was very much alive."

Still Kaname remained silent.

".. How did he die," Kana asked quietly after a few moments of silence. "The Hunter, Tristan. How did he die?"

Kaname's head bowed silently and Kana's brows furrowed.

".. He was killed," Kaname answered simply.

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed him."

The silence that followed gave her her answer and she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to make sense of the feelings swarming through her. When her eyes opened, she stared defiantly at Kaname.

"Give me your blood," she said demandingly, yet calm.

Looking over his shoulder at her, Kaname frowned. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I know you want to remember, but-"

"Give me your blood," she repeated, enunciating each word. "I'm aware of the fact that the memories will not be my own, but yours, Kaname, but I want to see what you're not telling me." She paused as she walked to him and brushed his hair from his neck, her lips began to trail kisses up to his ear lobe. "You wouldn't deny me, would you?" She murmured, nuzzling his neck and nipping the flesh near his shoulder sensually.

He wasn't the only one who knew how to get what he wanted, the only difference was that he had a much harder time saying no now because of his guilty conscious. It was almost as if their roles had been reversed, she was no longer the one to be seduced by his charm, it was the other way around now and it was a rather invigorating feeling.

"Kana..." Kaname muttered, turning to face her and pull her wandering hands from his body.

Anger flared inside of her at his attempt to deny her, to push her away and refuse her advances, but she swallowed it and ignored it. Removing her hands from her grasp, she reached for Kaname's face and pressed her body into his as she experimentally placed her lips against his. "Please," she whispered pleadingly, placing her lips delicately against his again. "I love you, Kaname. Do I not still have your love? Do I no longer have a place in your heart?" She kissed him again, this time hiding a smirk when she felt his resolve slipping. He couldn't deny her, his guilt wouldn't let him. She pulled away, her hand caressing his cheek. "How long has it been, Kaname, since you yourself drank?"

She ran a sharp fingernail over the smooth, flawless porcelain skin of her neck allowing beads of red to bloom from the scratch she had inflicted. Kaname's eyes flashed red and his flexed instinctively. This time she couldn't hide the smirk that appeared on her lips.

"You want it, don't you? No one's blood will ever compare to mine and even you can't turn away from it. Drink," she prodded, tilting her head so her neck was completely vulnerable to him while she pressed her body tightly into his.

His breath hitched in his throat as his arms possessively wrapped themselves around Kana's petite body, practically crushing her against him as his eyes flashed and his fangs extended dangerously.

Kana gasped as his fangs plunged into her neck, her hands clutched at his back, her fingers curling as a wave of unbidden pleasure washed over her. She was losing control of her own rouse, something she should have expected given the history between herself and Kaname. The act of taking each others' blood had often preceded or followed another more carnal act.

Her head tilting back, Kana groaned while savoring the feel of Kaname's fangs buried in her flesh while he sucked the blood from her veins.

The lustful groan caused him to tighten his hold on Kana's body and Kaname began to lose himself to the enticing scent of Kana and the familiar, fulfilling taste of her blood. He retracted his fangs from her skin, his lips staying firmly in place over the wound until it closed up a few seconds later. Pinning her to the wall behind her, he allowed his lips to trail up Kana's neck and chin before claiming her lips in a rough, lusty kiss.

Her nightgown hitched high up on her thigh as his hands explored the curves he used to know so well while her fingers deftly undid the buttons of his shirt. Thought was no longer a part of their movements or actions, it was all instinct and memory as he ran his fingers lightly over Kana's side in a way that caused her to sigh appreciatively. His shirt fell from his shoulders as she pushed it away and she lowered her lips to the now exposed skin of his shoulder. Her lips tantalizingly made their way up his neck where she began to playfully nip at the skin before plunging her fangs into him. The pleasured moan the action elicited made her shiver in anticipation as she drank the warm, intoxicating liquid from his veins.

It had been so long since she had tasted his blood that the feel of it smoothly streaming into her mouth and down her throat was hard to ignore let alone to want to stop. Her hands clutched tightly to his back as she tried not to lose herself in the taste and strong pull of his blood, when she her pulled her lips away from his neck, a small cry falling from her lips as her head snapped backwards and her eyes clenched shut, the moment of hazy pleasure was shattered and reality returned to her like a punch to the gut.

Kana's hands fisted and pressed themselves against her eyes tightly as her teeth smashed together and a sad, conflicted groan poured from her throat.

"Kana," Kaname asked worriedly, his voice soft and breathy still from their recent encounter. He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, not relinquishing the hold he still had on the petite woman. "Kana," he called again when she didn't answer or even appear to hear him.

He removed her hands from over her eyes and when he did the lights in the room all went out and even though the sun was shining outside of the thick curtains that were drawn over the windows, the room was plunged into darkness. A candle that sat on Kaname's desk ignited, its flame bouncing and writhing to life.

"Kana," Kaname inquired softly. He could sense her slipping away from him, sense her mind folding in on itself, retreating to some safer place to protect itself from the things that she didn't want to remember or relive.

Her eyes were glassy and far away, she looked as if she were in a trance as she stared at the solitary candle flame that was bobbing and flickering on his desk.

Taking her face in his hands, he focused his eyes on hers. "I'm sorry, Kana, for what you're about to see."

The candle flame crackled and danced violently as if a hurricane wind were trying to extinguish it. Kana moaned painfully and her hands fisted at her sides as her eyes began to fill with tears that fell silently down her cheeks.

And then she screamed. A heart breaking, agonizingly lonely and empty sound that echoed through the morning air.

"I'm sorry, Kana," Kaname whispered, kissing the now unconscious woman's forehead tenderly.

Gathering her into his arms, his carried into the hall where Sora and Riku stood in wait. With a nod, Sora took Kana's slight body into his arms and wordlessly carried her back to her own room where he laid her on her bed and covered her with her soft sheet and light blanket.

* * *

"Sora."

The blue eyed man heard his name despite the door and several yards that separated him from the one who had said it in a breathy, pleading whisper. Unfolding his tall, lithe body from the couch, Sora stood up and strode down the hall to the closed door of Kana's bedroom.

He rapped lightly on the door with his knuckle and called softly, "My lady?"

When he received no response, Sora sighed and looked back down the hall at his green eyed twin that was attempting to hide his jealous scowl while leaning into the wall. With a sigh, he placed his hand on the door knob and opened the door to the darkness that Kana had enveloped herself in.

His blue eyes adjusted quickly once the door was shut behind him and he could make out Kana's petite, womanly body curled up on her bed. Her hair was in a state of elegant disarray around her and the black robe she wore over her thin nightgown was open and strewn around her body, the sheets he had covered her with bundled at the end of the bed.

Approaching her slowly, Sora kept his eyes on Kana's pale face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing steady, as if she were sleeping, but he knew she was far from sleeping. The aura that he felt swimming around the room like unseen ghosts was too erratic and unstable, too full of emotions fighting for dominance that he knew no one could sleep while dealing with the pressure put on by it. Carefully sitting on the edge of the bed so as not to disturb Kana, Sora brushed some of her hair from her face and offered and slight smile when her crimson eyes opened to look despairingly up at him.

"Sora," Kana murmured absently, her hand reaching for his face and her fingers lightly running across his cheek.

"Is everything alright?" Sora inquired, taking a gentle hold of Kana's hand and placing a delicate kiss on top of her knuckles before lowering it to his lap where he kept a firm, comforting hold on it.

"Where is Riku," she inquired in a soft whisper.

"I'm here, my lady," Riku answered almost immediately, the door opening and closing as he entered the room and approached the bed.

Kana reached her free hand out to him and he took it, sliding onto the bed and laying beside her, his head on his arm as he grasped her hand and held it close to his chest.

"I don't want to be alone," she murmured tiredly.

Sora smiled warmly. "Then we will not leave your side until you command us to, my lady."

"Thank you, Sora," she said quietly, her eyes drifting shut as the aura in the room became a little more stable and peaceful.

Leaning back into the fluffy feather pillows, Sora kept Kana's small hand held in his and watched her as she began to drift into a restless sleep. Her face was rarely peaceful throughout the night. She would pale or her brows would crease or draw together in pain or confusion. Her lips would move and she would utter incomprehensible words while her hand clutched tightly to his or Riku's, anchors to keep her from falling into a world of dreams and forgetting reality.

After nearly five hours of restlessness, her eyes flitted open and the candles in the room sprang to life. Flickering shadows danced and glided over the walls, shapes of people and memories long past. Sora and Riku watched in silent awe, they had never before seen such vivid shadows. Some seemed to be living, like there were real people behind a screen and they were watching them as they went about their daily lives.

Kana's eyes watched the shadows and their movements as they began to grow violent and angry. Her hand clenched tightly around Sora's until a distant scream full of pain, fear, bitterness and betrayal shattered the silence. The scream had emanated from the shadows and it was followed by the sound of plaster creaking and cracking with strain. A cold wind blew through the room and all the candles extinguished themselves allowing the shadows to devour everything.

The room was left in utter silence and blackness so deep that even Sora and Riku had a hard time seeing anything at first. Slowly their eyes adjusted and life seemed to be breathed back into the room. Kana was sitting up now, her lips pursed slightly and her eyes staring at the wall ahead of her. Glancing at it, Sora realized that it was laced with erratic zig zagging cracks.

The silence was heavy and thick, oppressive. Sora and Riku didn't move from their spots, they weren't sure what had just happened or why and weren't sure they wanted to ask.

"My lady," Sora asked in surprise when Kana removed her hand from his and sat up.

She didn't answer him, but the candles sprung back to life once again and her eyes stared hungrily at the motions of the shadows the bright orange flames cast on the walls.

Sora glanced at Riku, his twin only shrugged helplessly. Frowning, Sora studied Kana for several moments before sighing and looking back at Riku. Riku seemed to understand the look in his brother's eyes and nodded. Both men stood from the bed and made their way out of the room. It wasn't the first time they had seen Kana in a state similar to the one she was in now and they both knew that it was futile to try and get her attention. And dangerous. Leaving her alone was the best option.

* * *

Sora and Riku looked up when the door opened to see Kaname striding in, his face as blank and unreadable as usual.

"Is there anything we can help you with, Kaname-sama," Sora asked while Riku snorted in disdain and focused his attention back on to the book in his lap.

Kaname ignored the twins and made his way towards Kana's room.

"Lady Kana isn't feeling well," Sora informed the pureblood from his seat, his blue eyes on his back. "I have no right to stop you from seeing her, but I would like to ask that you try not to upset her too much. She's in a fragile state at the moment. As I'm sure you know." He finished with a cold smile that was uncharacteristic for him before returning his attention to his own book.

Kaname paused in his walk to look over his shoulder at the bold vampire, but knowing that reprimanding him would do little good he continued to Kana's room. He rapped lightly on the door once and then let himself in.

The center of the room where the bed was was dark, the rest of the room was illuminated by the flickering light of candles that caused shadows to frolic across the walls and ceiling.

Despite the darkness, his keen eyes could see Kana sitting upright in her bed. Her eyes reflected the light of the dancing candle flames as she removed her eyes from the shadows to stare emotionlessly at Kaname as he approached her.

The lack of light in the room left most of her features veiled in darkness, but her eyes were unnervingly bright as they settled upon him.

She remained completely still as he reached a hand towards her face, his cool fingers skimming over the smooth surface of her cheek and then combing through her long hair.

"I love you, Kana."

The bright, intelligent eyes narrowed slightly and a chill draft teased the flames of the candles.

"You have always had my heart. I have never loved anyone the way I loved you."

Every single candle flame flared dramatically. The reddish orange glow eerily lit the room for a brief moment as the air began to thicken and tense.

"Get out," Kana hissed poisonously.

"I-"

"What _you_ desire is of no consequence to me," she interrupted, the flames flaring again as her anger began to grow intensely. "You _love _me, you _loved_ me. I have no desire to listen to your contradictions and lies."

"I'm not lying. I do love-"

"Get out, Kaname," she growled, her muscles coiling beneath her perfect, pale skin.

Kaname sighed, standing from the bed with his back to Kana.

"I love you, Kana," he murmured as he walked to the door.

With a shrill, angry cry, Kana sprang from the bed and flew at Kaname. She had him by the throat and pinned against the wall by the door in less than a second.

"It's funny you try so hard to make me believe that now. Thousands of years ago those words didn't escape your mouth even once in my presence. You can never make up for that, Kaname, don't try to do so now. I've only just begun to remember what kind of beast you truly are and no sweet, sugar coated lies are going to make me forgive you." Kana released Kaname and spun elegantly on her heel. "Get out."

Without a word, Kaname heeded her words and left the room. The sound of Kana falling to her knees on the soft carpeting would have gone unnoticed by anyone with normal hearing, but he wasn't normal and the when he heard the muffled intake of breath and the shaky exhalation that followed the fall, he paused. Glancing over his shoulder, he briefly contemplated going back, but decided it was best to leave Kana alone while she was still so unstable.

Sora and Riku both stood the second the door shut behind Kaname and made their way to Kana's bedroom where the found her on her knees not far from the door. Tears were streaming slowly down her pale cheeks as Sora knelt in front of her, brushing her hair from her face and wiping the salty water away with his thumbs.

"Is everything alright, my lady?" He inquired knowing very well that it wasn't, but wanting to get her attention and focus.

She didn't answer, just stared into his eyes for several moments before she rose from the floor and went back to her bed where she sat herself in the center of it.

"My lady," Sora asked hesitantly, glancing at Riku who was just as uncertain about what was going on as he was.

"It's time I remembered everything," she murmured, her voice distant and dreamy. "I suggest the two of you leave me be until then. I can't always tell the difference between what is real and what is just a shadow of what once was."

* * *

~A/N~

Sorry about the wait... I got a little caught up with school and trying to get_ The Forgotten One_ back on track so I can finish it up asap.

Anywho, you should all be happy to hear that Kana will remember everything starting next chapter. Sorry I dragged it out, but it was how I outlined the story originally. In the end I veered from the outline and the whole not remembering thing was made much more prominent then I meant it to be.

Well... Please review?


	8. Chapter 8 Remembering Fear

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 8**

**Remembering Fear**

"_You see love- a tight, thorny thread that you spin in a circle of gold, You have me to hold me, a token for all to see, captured to be yours alone"_

Her back was straight, her shoulders squared and her head held high and proud. Just as she had been taught. There was no expression on her flawless pale face and her intelligent, deep crimson eyes stared ahead of her evenly. Her hair that was the darkest brown and accented by strands the color of her eyes was pulled up into an ornate bun so that her face was completely visible. Her delicate hands were elegantly folded over one another as they rested on her long black skirt. She was the perfect example of elegance and grace.

There was an older woman beside her. Her stern face set in a serious frown while she rigidly watched the young man that was approaching them through the open doors they waited before.

He was beautiful for lack of a better word since handsome didn't quite seem to be enough to describe him. He hard dark brown hair, dark eyes filled with mystery and something dark and predatory that made the young woman twitch ever so slightly in uncertainty as he neared them.

The torches that lit the spacious, circular entryway flickered as the door closed behind the exquisite young man who removed his long cape from his body and let it fall to the stone floor with little care. It was then that he finally seemed to notice the two people that waited for him in the entryway. His eyes ignored the older woman entirely and instead focused on the young woman beside her.

He had last seen her when she was barely more than a toddler, still a child and as immature, playful and curious as one. She was no longer that same child he remembered her being. Her body had grown taller and leaner, the curves of it had become womanly and mature and she now stood with an air of grace and arrogance that she hadn't possessed the last time they had met. But then he figured he shouldn't be surprised. Since the day she was born she had been raised to know what she was and who she would become and she had been educated on how to act as her station required. Her breeding had taught her what was expected of her and it seemed that she now fully understood that and had accepted the life that had been chosen for her the day she had been born.

"Brother." The word was little more than a soft, light whisper from her red lips as she sunk into a respectful curtsy and bowed her head before rising once again and letting her eyes focus on him.

"Kana," he replied, inclining his head in acknowledgment.

"We've been awaiting your arrival, Lord Kaname," the stern woman spoke up, offering a stiff curtsy of her own. "Your rooms have been prepared for you, is there anything I can get for you? You must be exhausted after such a long journey."

"Hot water for a bath and some wine," he answered.

The older woman nodded and turned so that she could begin to fulfill the requests of the lord. She paused, waiting for the young woman who was still facing her older brother to follow after her. "Lady Kana," she said, her voice quiet, but authoritative.

The young woman glanced over her shoulder and tilted a finely plucked brow. "You may go, Eliza. I'll show Kaname to his rooms."

The older woman frowned, it was inappropriate for the young lady to be left alone in the presence of a man. It didn't matter that that man was her brother, he was also her fiance. To some the pending marriage may have seemed to be the most inappropriate thing of all, they were siblings after all. Born from the same parents. However, they were not born like their parents.

They were vampires, beasts born from humans and they were among the first to ever be born.

When the old woman made no attempt to leave and opened her mouth to something further the crimson eyes of the young woman flashed warningly. Closing her mouth and nodding her head stiffly, she turned to attend to her own duties.

Now alone in the entryway with the man she had been bred and groomed to be the perfect companion for, Kana stepped toward her brother with sure steps and a slight smirk on her perfectly carved face. "It would be my pleasure to accompany you to your rooms, if it would please you."

He lifted a brown brow at the forwardness he hadn't expected of the woman in front of him. She was nothing at all like the child he remembered, it was as if that child had never even existed now as he gazed at her. "That would be fine."

Smiling demurely, Kana began to lead the way through the stone hallways of the castle-like home they had had built. It smelled of beeswax and oil in the walkways from the candles and torches that were burning to provide light in the dark, windowless passageways.

Reaching the heavy wooden doors that would lead into the spacious room reserved for her brother, Kana pushed them open and stepped aside to allow him to pass her and enter his rooms. She watched him as he stepped into the room and looked around. The outer room was meant to be used as an office. A few hand woven woolen carpets were placed over the cold, gray stone floors and a sturdy desk sat off towards the right of the room, in front of a small fireplace that currently had a lively fire crackling inside of it. There was a doorway to the right that would lead to a sitting room and then beyond that was a spacious and comfortable bedroom.

"Is there anything you require before I leave you to yourself," Kana inquired.

Kaname turned to glance at her, his dark crimson eyes finally able to see her better in the brighter light of the fire and with the added help of the moonlight that streamed in through a window in the back wall. A window he had been gazing out of absently when she had spoken. She was quite the sight to behold in her long black dress with its golden stitching and tightly laced bodice. The ensemble enhanced the curves of her slight body and brought out the color of her eyes.

Saying nothing, he approached her and took hold of her wrist. He pulled her into the room and pushed the doors shut behind her.

"You're not afraid," he asked, brushing his hand over her cheek as she stood in front of him.

"Should I be," she asked, her eyes meeting his. "I was raised to be the perfect companion for you, to be strong and unafraid. What type of wife would I be to you, the one who will rule our race, if I am a fearful weakling? I am a pureblood and a future queen, I have no time to waste being afraid when there is a war going on between our kind and the humans. You would have no need of me if I was weak."

"I don't know about that," he murmured, his fingers skimming over her neck and the throbbing veins beneath the smooth surface of her skin.

Her pulse was mesmerizing and his arms wrapped themselves around her body, his throat growing dry as he dipped his head towards her neck and pulled the fabric of her dress aside. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest, hear it echoing in his ears and it excited him to know he had such a strong effect on her. She sucked in a breath when his lips met her skin and gasped, her head tilting back and her nails biting into his back as his sharp fangs extended and pierced through the thin, sensitive layer of skin on her neck.

It was invigorating to know that the man she had been raised to love, to want and need and to cater to wanted her as well. It was empowering and she couldn't wait to become his forever, just as she had been raised to.

* * *

"I don't understand why there must be so much fighting and blood shed. It's barbaric," Kana stated, falling onto the fur covered couch in Kaname's study.

"It's necessary," he answered shortly.

"Is it really," she sighed, her head tilting back so she could stare at the ceiling and the flickering shadows that the torches cast upon it. "We live much longer than humans do and it has been over two thousand of years since this war began... So many generations of human families have been lost. Is it wrong that I think that's sad, brother?"

Kaname looked up at Kana, she had grown more womanly in the centuries that had past since they had married. Her pale skin was still flawless, but she looked more mature now and there was something else that she possessed now that she hadn't when he had first seen her after she had grown into a woman. A sort of darkness that he had never really noticed and a power that announced she really was every bit the pureblood vampire queen she was now recognized as.

"War is accompanied by death, Kana. They go together hand in hand."

"I'm well aware of that, Kaname. It just seems like a waste to me. So many lives are being destroyed everyday and for what? What makes this senselessness so necessary? Why can't there just be peace?"

"Because we are different and we are feared. We can't live in peace while the humans insist on killing every single vampire they see."

"Can you blame them," she countered. "So many humans have watched their friends and families be murdered for their blood or turned into creatures that are allowed to go insane because those that turned them don't care what happens to them. We are not innocent in this war either."

"I never said we were," Kaname replied, turning his eyes back to his work.

"..You have no intention of trying to stop this war, do you?"

Kaname didn't answer her question and by now she knew him well enough to know that it would be better that she left him alone. It wasn't her place to question his actions, he was the one everyone followed, not her. She had the respect of their people, of course, but she did not command them the way he did. They didn't move to follow her every whim they way they did for him. Though whether they did it because they wanted to or because they feared the wrath of their pureblood lord, she wasn't sure.

* * *

Kana's heart was beating quickly in her chest as she pulled the hood of her black fur-lined cloak further down to ensure that her face was entirely hidden within its shadows. Her keen eyes glanced around her, looking for anything that might have been out of place and to ensure that no one saw her as she slipped through the shadows of passageways that she wasn't supposed to be in. Following the winding passages and an unpleasant stench further and further below the castle and into its hidden depths, Kana hid her aura and masked her presence while navigating unfamiliar maze-like halls.

She had always been aware of the dungeons that lay beneath her home, but she had never bothered to visit them or to inquire about the atrocities performed within them. She was a woman, she wasn't expected to anyway. It was no place for her to be and she wouldn't have been allowed even if she had asked, Kaname never would have allowed it. Overhearing part of a conversation between two guards, Kana finally got the information she needed and made her way into the darkest depths of the dungeon. The smell made her stomach turn, it was a mixture of scents. Vomit, feces, blood, and who knew what else mingled together to make a perfume that she was afraid would never leave her nostrils.

Reaching a lone cell in the depths of the prison, Kana approached it to see a man sitting against the back wall. He looked up at her with defiant lilac eyes when he noticed her shadow fall into his cell. His eyes were so full of life and strength that Kana found herself staring into them much longer than she had meant to. The man said nothing as Kana stood before his cell, studying him while hidden beneath the folds of her cloak.

"Are you the one they're talking about? The one who showed up here saying there could peace between the humans and vampires?" Kana asked.

Surprised at hearing a female voice emanate from the figure, the man's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded his chin nonetheless. "I am."

"You were placed in here by Kaname, were you not?"

"I was."

"Despite the fact that he refused to listen to your ideas of a peaceful coexistence.. Do you still believe that peace is possible?"

He frowned. "I do, but given that he commands every other vampire to do his bidding, it seems unlikely."

"... Not every vampire must do as he bids," she said quietly, removing the hood from her head so that her face was exposed.

"Y-you're..." The man's lilac eyes widened upon seeing the beautiful face that had been hidden beneath the black cloak.

Kana smiled. "I'm Kana Kuran, Kaname's queen."

* * *

She once again found herself pulling the hood of her black cloak securely over her head as she slipped out of the castle and into the forest encasing it and into the dense trees. She melted in with the shadows as she wandered through the woods, uncertain of whether or not she was going in the right direction.

She had never been out of the castle before that morning and she was unused to having to navigate through so much open space. The sounds of a river caught her attention and she followed the sound until she came upon the winding, bubbling flow. Following the river south, Kana found herself growing more and more afraid of the consequences of her actions should Kaname ever find out what she was doing.

For over two thousand years they had lived together, loved each other, even if it was only her that ever voiced that emotion, and had grown so close they were practically one. It was not easy to keep or hide things from someone who knew you almost as well as they knew themselves. She knew that Kaname would never hurt her, but that did not mean he wouldn't hurt others instead. She had learned long ago that it was best to let Kaname have his way and to avoid trying to tell him otherwise. He was kind, but he was also very cruel and it seemed to be the darker side of him that came out more often than the lighter side.

She loved Kaname, there was no question about that. He had always been good to her and treated her well, but she was beginning to grow more aware of the fact that she had been raised to love him, she had never been given any other choice but to do so. He was her perfect companion and she understood that, but as the years past, she didn't think she was his perfect companion. He loved her or at least cared about her in some way though he never told her that and she was left to decipher his actions and draw her own conclusions about his feelings for her.

Yet she couldn't help but to believe that she was not the companion he desired. She was strong, she was respected and had no problem ensuring that she was seen as the strongest queen one could ever hope for, but she was not merciless. She was kind and naïve and knew nothing of the horrors of the world outside of the castle walls Kaname had not once let her outside of. She had heard about them though. In great detail and had seen some of them through Kaname's eyes as she had drunk his blood in the past. The visions always left her feeling sick. They had made her want to find some way to end the bloodshed and fighting that had been going on for thousands of years between the vampires and the humans.

However, Kaname had never seemed interested in listening to her when she brought up the possibility that there could be peace. He ignored her or brushed off her ideas, saying that none of the humans shared her views and that she was not involved in the politics of war and that it should remain that way. It was these times that she had begun to understand that despite her status and title and the respect she commanded from the rest of the vampires that Kaname didn't think of her as someone to share his life with. He didn't see her as his companion, he saw her as his possession. She was his to love how he saw fit, even if that meant he didn't really love her at all. She knew it wasn't that he didn't love her though, it was just that his idea of love and her own were very different. He loved her in his own way and had always protected her and given her everything she could possibly desire.

Now that she had found a human that shared her hope that there could be peace between the warring races, Kana wanted nothing more than to prove that she was capable of doing more than simply standing idly by Kaname's side as if she were a trophy or prize that he had won to show off and parade in front of the race that he ruled over.

Her wandering thoughts caused her to lose track of her surroundings and since she was unused to having to actually pay attention to what she was doing, she didn't notice that she was walking a little too closely to the river. She was walking over dirt and loose gravel that sat a few feet above the water and as she went to take another step forward the dirt beneath her petite foot gave way.

With a startled cry, she began to fall towards the running river. Her body jolted to a stop when a strong hand grasped onto hers and pulled her back up onto stable ground.

"Are you alright?"

Kana blinked up into the face of the man she had helped to escape from the underground dungeons the day before. His name was Tristan Kiryu and he was holding her steady, a hand on her lower back and the other still lightly holding on to her own hand that he grabbed in order to pull her back up to safety. His face was only inches from hers and she found herself staring into lilac eyes that were so vivid and warm that she found herself relaxing immediately as if she had nothing to fear from anyone or anything.

"My lady?" He questioned when she didn't respond.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your help," Kana replied quickly, removing herself from the grasp of the silvery haired man.

"I thought that vampires were supposed to be graceful, but it seems that's just a rumor," the man said, giving Kana a playful, amused smile.

She scoffed at the remark and stubbornly turned her head away. "I've never been outside of the castle walls before, I'm not used to walking on such poor surfaces."

"You've never been outside before," the man asked, clearly surprised by her admission.

Kana frowned before replying, her eyes still staring off into the distance. "No, I've never been allowed to leave the confines of the castle. Kaname doesn't allow it."

"I thought you didn't always listen to Kaname."

Her eyes flickered as she looked back into the lilac eyes that were still studying her intently. "I believe what I said was that there were some who did not have to always do his bidding. I may be one of them, but that does not mean that until now I have not always done as he has bidden... It's easier that way."

"Even you're afraid of him, aren't you," the man asked.

Kana shook her head with a sigh. "No. I was not raised to fear him, I was raised to love him and always do as he wished. Until now that is what I have done."

"And what will he do when he finds out what you're doing?"

"Honestly... I don't know. My brother is not known for his kindness, I know, but I have to hope that he will listen to me when I take him the treaty you and I will create. I'm tired of living in a world that is at war, there has to be another way. One that doesn't include endless bloodshed and death simply because our races are different from one another."

"And if he won't listen?"

Gazing out into the rising sun, Kana sighed heavily. "Then I suppose I will just have to find another way to make him see that things cannot continue as they are."

* * *

Kana laughed in amusement, her eyes crinkling and her bell like laughter filling the little room. "Watching you dance is practically a form of punishment. That poor girl you were dancing with looked completely mortified. I can't believe you don't know how to dance, Tristan, aren't all gentlemen supposed to know how to dance?"

Tristan's pale eyebrow twitched as the lilac eyed man sat down across from Kana who had made himself comfortable at his small table. "Was there a reason for this visit? Or did you just come to make fun of me?"

"There's a reason, of course, but it really is so much fun to tease you. I mean goodness, Tristan, I certainly hope you don't actually like that girl, the poor thing must be too traumatized to ever want to see you again."

"As much as I enjoy being the cause of your amusement, Kana, why not just tell me why you're here," Tristan grumbled grumpily.

"Oh, fine," she sighed. "Kaname has decided to return home earlier than expected. It seems he's hearing talk of a traitor who is working with the humans and he wants to investigate for himself. Given that the traitor he seeks is myself I thought it best that I attend to my duties as usual and so I will not be able to leave the castle grounds while he is home. It's unfortunate really. We've made so much progress these past few months..."

"Will you be alright," Tristan asked.

Glancing at the man she had been working so closely with for over six months, Kana saw the worry in his eyes and lowered her own to the floor. "I'll be fine. I am the pureblood queen after all."

"Kana," Tristan said, reaching for her hand that she tried to pull away only to have him grasp on to it tightly. "I-"

"I need to go," she cut in, standing and letting her hand slide out of his grasp. "Excuse me."

"Do you love him, Kana? Really love him," Tristan asked before she could disappear.

She cast a glance over her shoulder and took a small breath in, turning her face away from the man she had spent much time alone with in the months since she had helped him to escape the dungeon he had been locked in. "Yes, I love him. Very much."

"Even though it wasn't your choice to love him?"

For several moments Kana stared ahead of herself blankly while she contemplated the question. When she finally nodded, she sighed heavily. "Even though it wasn't my choice, I know nothing else but to love him and so I do."

"Are you happy with him," Tristan inquired quietly.

Kana's eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped her lips. The question was one she hadn't really expected and it was something she had never bothered to really think about. Her happiness was not what mattered, it never had, and so happiness was a concept that she had never really bothered to try and apply to herself. Blinking to regain her senses, Kana brushed off the uncertainty that had washed over her and once again became the woman she had been raised to be. "I must go, excuse me," she said quietly, not looking back at Tristan as she disappeared from his home to return to her own that somehow seemed much darker and stuffy than she remembered it being.

* * *

Kana raised a finger to her red lips, shushing Tristan as he woke up with a start, surprised by her sudden presence looming over him in his bedroom in the middle of the night.

"Kana," he asked, blinking at the woman's familiar face as she glanced at the window and out into the darkness that lay beyond it. "What's wrong?" He inquired, alert and worried because of the look in her eyes and the fact that she had shown up during the night. Something she had never done due to the fact that her kind was most active at night and it was easier to move during the day and not be detected.

"Nothing, I just... I.. wanted to see you."

"To see me?" He asked, confused.

"...Would you believe me if I said I was lonely?"

"You're always surrounded by people, how can you be lonely?" Tristan questioned, though he had an idea already of what her answer would be. She was not someone that you simply walked up and spoke to, she was to be respected and viewed from afar as far as those that were near were concerned. The one that was supposed to be by her side spent more time in his study or out fraternizing with other vampires that she was left on her own most of the time.

"I may always be surrounded by people, but not one of them actually speaks to me as an equal. I am their mistress and that is all they see when they look at me."

"And Kaname? What does he see?" Tristan inquired quietly.

Kana sighed and looked away. "A possession. Something he owns and that he can use however he desires. I may be his queen and I may command a lot of respect amongst our people, but I am still just an object. He may care about me in his own way, but..."

"It's not enough, is it," Tristan asked, standing up and taking a step towards Kana who stiffened slightly as he neared her and placed a calloused hand on her cheek.

Her eyes closed and she sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. "I... I shouldn't be here..." She let her eyes flutter open and tried to take a step backwards only to have Tristan envelope her in his arms and place his lips gently against her own.

The kiss was short, but it was enough to make Kana freeze in her place so that he could lower his mouth to her ear and whisper, "I love you, Kana. You deserve so much better than a husband who treats you as if you were a puppet at his command."

"I love him," she murmured, torn and confused.

"Because you were told to."

She shook her head, her eyes closing as they began to water. "No... I... I shouldn't have come here, I'm sorry."

"Why _did_ you come here then, Kana? To play games with me? You had to have known how I felt and you must feel something for me to come here like this. For once do what you want to do, not what you're expected to."

"It's not that simple, you know that," she replied quietly, bowing her head into his chest. "I can't just betray Kaname and expect there to be no consequences... You would be killed if he ever found out."

"Then we'll just have to make sure he never finds out," Tristan whispered before tilting her head up to place his lips against hers once again, this time with more urgency and passion.

* * *

"Who," Kana demanded as she appeared out of nowhere in Tristan's kitchen, startling the man enough that he spilled the tea in his hand.

"Kana, what-"

"Who, Tristan?" Kana cut in forcefully, her eyes darting towards the doorway.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kana," Tristan answered a bit roughly. "Calm down and tell me what's going on."

She let out an exasperated breath, shaking her head and looking out the window into the night that was beginning to fall over the human town. "You need to leave. Now."

"What? Why?"

"Someone knows, Tristan. Someone knows that a pureblood woman comes to this town to try and find a peaceful end to the war. Kaname is furious and has every intention of finding the traitor and the human she meets with. It's only a matter of time before they realize it's you, you haven't exactly been silent with your ideas about the possibility of a peaceful coexistence between our kinds."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied calmly, sitting down to sip on the tea he had brewed for himself.

Kana looked at him as if he lost his mind. "You have to be joking? Tristan, he will kill you."

"He doesn't know it's me, which means there's still time. We've come a long way, Kana, there's no point in giving up and running away now."

".. How did I know you would say that?" She asked, smiling ruefully and shaking her head. "Fine, but I want you to do something for me and in turn I'll do everything I can to keep Kaname distracted and away from this village. Don't try and protect me, I am more than capable of protecting myself. I don't need you to worry about me."

Tristan studied Kana with a frown for several seconds before sighing and nodding. "What do you want me to do?"

Kana smirked as she pulled a leather bound journal from her cloak and set it down on the table to slide it towards Tristan.

Blinking at the object on his table, Tristan opened the book and frowned at the words inside that had been written in Kana's perfect, elegant script. "An association of vampire hunters?" He asked, looking questioningly up at her as she continued to smile down at him. "You actually want there to be an association of people who hunt vampires?"

"It wouldn't be for sport," Kana said. "There needs to be some force that can stand up to the vampires and when there is peace that force needs to be able to come together to enforce rules and boundaries. A council of sorts to ensure that humans are able to maintain their own existence separate from the vampires," Kana explained. "That journal has ideas that I think will be very helpful."

"And you want me to form this society?" Tristan asked.

"Why do you seem so surprised," she asked, stepping around the table to lower herself down onto Tristan's lap and run a hand over his cheek. "I wouldn't trust anyone but you with something like this... You're the only person I really do trust..." She lightly brushed her lips against his before pulling away to smile happily as his arms wrapped themselves around her and she was filled with a sense of warmth and belonging.

* * *

Kana watched Kaname pace his study, he was clearly angry and upset over the news he had just been given. Apparently there was an alliance of humans that had been formed and was calling themselves Vampire Hunters. They apparently wanted peace and to create rules and laws that would allow a peaceful coexistence to become possible. Hunting rogue or insane vampires would be part of their duties, they would ensure the safety of their own race while still working with the vampires to maintain peace.

This angered Kaname because it had all happened without his knowledge and from the rumors that were spreading the humans had not formed this alliance all on their own. They had had the help of a pureblood woman, it was just unknown as to who that woman was. And right now the pureblood lord badly wanted to know so that that woman could be taught a lesson in obedience.

"Maybe you should look at this differently, Kaname," Kana suggested. "These humans are willing to work with you to achieve peace, isn't that a good thing? That would mean the end to all of this fighting and bloodshed. And it would mean that you could spend more time here... With me..." She felt a stab of pain in her chest as the words left her lips, she loved Kaname, but he was not the one she wanted with her. He was not the one that deserved her, at least not as he was. A blood thirsty, arrogant and harsh ruler that took everything he had for granted because he didn't believe there was anything that could ever take anything away from him.

"I have no desire to work with them, Kana. I want to destroy them for making a fool of me."

"How did they make a fool of you, Kaname? They want peace, just as I do and just as-"

"Enough," Kaname snapped harshly, causing Kana to jump in response to the order. "I'm in no mood to listen to your wishful thoughts. You know nothing about what our kind has suffered at the hands of humans and you certainly don't know-"

"I know more than you think, Kaname!" Kana cut in bitterly. "I am not an idiot and I am certainly not blind or deaf, I have heard what you refuse to and I am well aware of what goes on at the hands of not only the humans but our own race. Usually at your command. You enjoy-"

Kana was cut off as Kaname's hand brushed harshly over her cheek. She was stunned speechless as she lifted her own hand to her stinging her cheek and met Kaname's eyes with hers that had widened in shock. She blinked at him, never before had he ever lashed out at her so violently. He had raised his voice to her before when she had said something she shouldn't have, in his opinion at least, but he had never once actually hurt her. If he thought he had or thought he had possibly angered her he had always found ways of placating her and turning the situation to favor himself.

"Kana, I-"

She shook her head and stepped back as Kaname reached for her, an apologetic look on his face. "I don't want to hear it, Kaname. I'm going to bed and I suggest you let me have my way just this once and leave me be." Turning her back to her husband and brother, Kana left the room and strode towards her own without another word.

* * *

Weeks had turned to months and the months had turned to years though to Kana the passage of time was nothing considering the long years she had spent living. Now as she sat in the little seat beside the window, she wondered how things were going outside of the castle walls. It had been over three years since she had been able to leave to see Tristan. The guard in the castle and surrounding the town he lived had been raised and there was no way for her to leave or get near Tristan without being noticed and that was something that she just couldn't risk.

In the past several days however the guard had begun to grow lax once again and with Kaname out of the castle it seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to leave and see Tristan once again. After hiding herself beneath the voluminous folds of her cloak, she slipped out of the castle and made her way towards the town that Tristan called home. It was late evening and the sun was just beginning to lower itself beneath the treetops as she glided through the forest. It was quiet and if she had stopped to contemplate on just how quiet it was, she might have noticed that it was far more quiet than she had ever remembered it being in the forest.

Reaching the familiar house of the silvery haired man she hadn't seen in so long, Kana slipped unseen inside. Tristan was in his kitchen placing a kettle over the fire that crackled in the center of it. He looked up when her shadow fell over him and stared at her looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Kana?" He asked before she pulled her hood from her head to smile softly at him.

"Hello, Tristan," she replied. "It's been a long time."

"Tris, what's taking ya so long? It's not that hard ta-"

Kana looked up at the man that had stopped in the doorway, his mouth open and eyes wide as he stared at her with eyes very much like Tristan's. Neither the man nor Kana knew how to react and both tensed uncertainly.

Sensing the tension, Tristan stepped in front of Kana, facing the man in the doorway while taking Kana's hand gently into his own in hopes that it would calm her. "Brother, this is Kana Kuran, she's the one who gave me the idea to-"

"Kana... Kuran... As in the queen of the vampires?" He asked, his hand reaching for the sword that was at his side.

"Yes, but she's on our side. She is the one who I was working with. It was her idea to form the hunters alliance. She means no harm," Tristan said reassuringly.

Kana gasped, her eyes widening as her head spun towards the open window. Her breathing quickened and her heart began to race uncontrollably in her chest.

"Kana, what's wrong," Tristan inquired, turning towards her and squeezing her hand to try and get her attention.

She didn't have time to answer as the door flew opened, crashing loudly into the wall and allowing an icy wind to blow through the house. Kana held onto Tristan's hand, shielding her eyes from the swirling dust by ducking her head behind his shoulder. His brother was thrown backwards by unseen hands and slammed into the back wall of the little house, his head hitting the stone hard enough to knock him unconscious. Tristan moved to help his brother, but he had hardly moved before he to was thrown through the air to smash through the wall of his home.

"Tristan," Kana cried, turning to run towards him only to stop short when Kaname appeared over the man who was coughing as he struggled to sit up amidst the debris. He was covered in dirt and dust and had several small bleeding cuts and scratches on his arms and face. "No," Kana screamed, her eyes widening when Kaname raised his hand, his nails elongating and forming sharp needle-like points.

His eyes met hers and his lips moved, his voice clear and fearless. "I love you, Kana... Run."

Her eyes widened at his last word and she froze in her place, it felt as if the thick atmosphere was holding her in place. Everything had slowed, she could hear each painful beat of her heart and feel it pounding against her ribs. By the time she was able to move once again, she was too late.

She jolted to a stop, her crimson eyes wide and her hands trembling at her sides. Slowly, she raised a hand to brush over her cheek causing something wet and warm to smudge her pale skin. When she saw the red liquid on her fingers, she felt her breath catch in her throat and couldn't bring herself to look up. She was afraid of what it was she was going to see and she couldn't process what she had seen.

Sensing the rage and hate emanating from Kaname, Kana looked up to see his eyes glowing a dark, violent red. He was watching her like a hawk watching a snake as he took a step towards her. She took one back instinctively, stumbling over her own feet that felt numb. One word echoed in her head then.

"_Run_."

And that was what she did. Turning her back to Kaname she fled into the night.

* * *

Sucking in a deep breath that she very nearly choked on, Kana sat up in her bed. The sheets were tangled around her legs and her hair was sticking to her forehead and shoulders in sweaty, messy clumps as her chest heaved and her heart hammered so loudly it almost seemed to be echoing throughout the dark room.

She stared blankly ahead of her for several moments as her breathing slowed and she let her memories sink back in. When she lifted a hand to wipe away a bead of sweat from her cheek, she was surprised to find that it wasn't sweat she was wiping away, but tears. They were leaking from her eyes one after another. Staring at the moistness on her fingertips, Kana could feel the emotions of thousands of years before returning to her, vividly and forcefully.

Yet, they were not quite what she expected. She was angry and she wanted revenge, but all she could sense at that very moment were the same things that she had sensed on a cool evening so very long ago. Fear and an immense, heart breaking sadness that made her clench her eyes shut as tears became impossible hold back. Her hands clenched over her heart and with an anguished cry, she hunched over in bed and began to sob without a single care as to who she was or what she was. Her status would never make it so that she couldn't cry over the loss of someone she had loved, truly loved and had been unable to save.

In the sitting room, Sora and Riku exchanged saddened, sober glances before rising from their seats and making their way to the side of the woman they had vowed to forever stand by and protect.

* * *

Kaname's dark eyes opened slowly and he stood from the chaise he had laid himself down to rest upon since he knew he would be unable to sleep even if he had tried.

Kana had remembered, she still wasn't quite fully awakened, but she had remembered what it was that he had done so long ago to make her fear him so much that she had tried to hide herself from the entire world. That fear and the act that had caused it had made her begin to resent him, to hate him, but as of yet she hadn't remembered those emotions. Just the fear he had caused her to experience, and the pain that had gone along with it.

He knew that he could never atone for how he had made her suffer, but he was no longer the same person he had been thousands of years before. He had learned to understand things he had ignored before and had realized how very stupid he had been to have taken for granted things he should have cherished and loved.

Despite knowing that Kana would likely want nothing to do with him, Kaname felt the need to go to her side. To attempt to comfort her and apologize for what he had done and what he had taken away from her. She had been kind and gentle, innocent and naïve, but he knew that now that she remembered who he had been she would never again be the same girl he remembered.

* * *

Zero had been in a slight daze, his chin was propped up on his fist and he was staring at the front of the classroom without really seeing anything. He had no interest in listening to the teacher drone on about.. well, whatever it was he was droning on about. While he was normally disinterested in class with no real desire to pay attention he had had more trouble than usual trying to focus on everyday things in the course of the past several days.

He knew what was distracting him, but he was loathe to admit it. A certain pureblood vampire was occupying much of his mind and he wanted nothing more than to forget about her and go on as he normally would. Yet for some reason he just couldn't do that. Being that his thoughts were turned so much in her direction, when he sensed a sudden shift in the aura he could much too easily recognize, he turned to stare out the window, a frown forming on his face.

It was odd, even to him, that he could clearly feel the fear in the aura that had so suddenly shifted as if just awoken from a nightmare. He could also sense a sadness emanating from the person and without realizing what he was doing, he stood up and left the classroom, ignoring the protests of the teacher as he went.

* * *

Trying to comfort Kana did little good, she was so overcome with emotion that she didn't even seem to realize where she was or that both Sora and Riku were with her. They did what they could just to try and let her know they were there and that she was not and never would be alone.

It wasn't until another person stepped into the room that Kana became more aware of her surroundings. Her shoulders stopped shaking and the tears that had been leaking from her eyes halted as her body tensed, her muscles coiling beneath her pale, perfect skin. She was ready to strike, or flee, should the need arise. Her crimson eyes narrowed and she watched Kaname warily while he walked to the bed, his eyes on her and only her.

"Kana," he murmured, his hand reaching to wipe away the trail of tears on her cheek.

Being so overwhelmed with the same fear she had felt so many centuries before, she reacted purely on instinct. Flinching away from the hand reaching for her, Kana rose from the bed and did the same thing she had done then. She fled.

* * *

~A/N~

This chapter was annoying to write. I couldn't get it quite right and kept changing it and tweaking things. Hopefully it was at least enjoyable. Some more information was given, not all of it, but more will be revealed in time...

Anywho, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. You are all awesome and make writing stories worth it!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9 Clarity

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 9 **

**Clarity**

"_And I need just a little more silence, and I need just a little more time"_

Her bare feet carried her through the dorms and out into the day unnoticed by any of the night class students who had all retired to their rooms for the daylight hours. Tears were streaming down her cheeks once again as her arms pumped fiercely at her sides while she ran. She didn't know where she was going, she didn't care, she just wanted to be as far from Kaname as she could get. When the forest surrounding the Academy grounds came into view she ran beneath the thick branches and into the shadow provided by them.

She wasn't sure how long she had been running when the shape of a tall, lean man appeared beneath the gloomy shadows of the trees. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and she sucked in a deep breath when she saw Tristan himself standing only a matter of yards away. She stumbled over her own feet, her breath remaining stuck in her throat as her hand unconsciously began to reach for the man in front of her. Only as she lifted her hand she remembered that Tristan was dead. He had been ripped apart by her very own brother and husband that had once meant more to her than the air she breathed.

Her hand began to tremble and she released a shaky breath, her eyes filling with warm, salty tears. She was so close now she could easily see the conflicted look in the eyes of the person she had mistaken for Tristan. Coming to an abrupt halt, Kana blinked to clear her vision and lowered her hand to her side, ignoring the tears that had spilled from her eyes and were running down her cheeks. In front of her Zero merely frowned at her looking torn between doing what his Hunter instincts wanted him to by killing her, and what his vampire instincts wanted to do by going to the aid of the pureblood queen.

Breathing harshly, Kana fell to her knees and let her head droop into her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to reign in her emotions that were still so violently stirring inside of her. Her instincts had been so overwhelming when she had run from her room that she hadn't had time to actually think. To register everything she remembered and to remember that she was not the weak being that couldn't protect anyone. Not anymore at least.

For several moments Zero just watched her as she breathed in and out slowly and evenly, regaining the control over herself that she had lost in her haste to escape from Kaname and the memories that had haunted her for so long. When she looked up at him her crimson eyes were clear and piercing despite the obvious tiredness that lined her face and the shiny trails on her cheeks. She was no longer the uncertain, unstable vampire she had been and it was almost unnerving to meet her strong gaze.

He hadn't realized he moved until Kana's eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation as he offered her a hand to help her up from the dirt. She took the offered hand, wondering what it was that possessed Zero to even think of helping a member of a race he absolutely loathed. As she began to stand up, her head spun and she clasped tightly to Zero's hand in an attempt to steady the world that was spinning so quickly around her.

Zero's form was hard for her to focus on clearly as she began to lose consciousness, but she did see him stepping closer to her as her breathing began to slow, before everything faded away altogether. She gratefully accepted the blackness that washed over her, it was better than feeling the intense pain of her heart that would never heal after the betrayal she had suffered so long ago, but had relived moments before.

Caught off guard, Zero was barely able to catch Kana before she could collapse in to the dirt again, he had an awkward hold on her at first, but managed to get her in to his arms so that he could carry her back to the Academy.

Headmaster Kaien Cross was just about to enjoy a nice hot cup of tea in his kitchen when the door to his personal home slammed open loudly. Startled, he jolted and caused scalding hot tea to splash all over his bright green scarf and yellow shirt.

"Oh dear," he sighed, looking down at his ruined shirt and sadly lifting his dripping scarf away from his body. "I really liked this scarf," he mumbled.

Hearing the heavy footsteps that were making their way through his hallway, Cross poked his head out of his kitchen just in time to see Zero's back and he was quite certain a pale foot bobbing near his side. Curious, he set his tea down on the table and followed the boy he had taken in after the destruction of his family at the hands of a pureblood vampire.

"Zero, what on earth..." Cross trailed off as he entered his guest bedroom to see Zero laying the former pureblood queen down on the bed. "What happened?" he asked in concern, stepping forward to take a closer look at Kana as Zero moved aside.

When his question was met with silence, Cross turned around to see that Zero was already gone from the room.

"Well this can't be good," he mumbled to himself. With a glance back at the unconscious pureblood, Cross frowned before quietly leaving the room in search of Zero. The several thousand year old pureblood was likely to be just fine, the teenage hot head Hunter was more of a concern to him at that very moment.

He hadn't had to go far to find him though, thankfully. He was still in the house, rigidly facing the open door with his beautiful silver gun drawn and pointing at a figure that was just inside of it.

"Kaname?" Cross questioned, surprised to see the pureblood looking so relaxed in his doorway as if Zero wasn't pointing a gun at him with a very palpable murderous aura. It was when Kaname was as relaxed as he appeared now that things could get dangerous, quickly. "Uh, Zero, why don't you put the gun down, please?"

Zero completely ignored him, not that he was at all surprised, but it just meant that he was going to have to find another way of diffusing the situation.

"What is it that brings you here this morning, Kaname? Everything alright?" Cross inquired, attempting to sound like his usual jovial self.

"You're not going anywhere near her if that's why you came," Zero growled fearlessly. It didn't matter to him that the vampire in front of him was one of the most powerful purebloods, he had no intention of letting him past the front door. Hell, if it had been up to him he never would have gotten on the grounds.

"A Vampire Hunter protecting a vampire, how ironic," Kaname replied smoothly.

Kaname and Zero were so focused on each other that Cross wasn't even sure they realized he was there.

"Considering who she is it's not surprising actually," Zero stated evenly.

"Is that so?" Kaname mused, head tilting as if he was trying to understand what Zero meant.

"She's the one who made the Hunter's Association possible."

"...She is," Kaname conceded. "With the help of your ancestors."

"Then it really shouldn't be all that surprising that a Hunter would keep you away from her. She choose her side a long time ago, and it wasn't yours." Lowering his Bloody Rose gun, Zero spun around and stalked past a stunned Headmaster Cross who was trying to speak but could find no words to put into his moving mouth.

"What do you two want?" Zero growled, but despite the venom in his voice he holstered his Bloody Rose gun and settled for glaring at the twins standing guard over Kana's door instead.

"To thank you," Riku ground out with a bit of effort.

Zero tilted a brow at the vampire that looked far from grateful from where he was leaning into the wall beside the door to the room Kana was sleeping in. "For what?"

"For not taking Lady Kana back to him," Sora replied. He had been leaning against the opposite side of the door, but he pushed himself upright and stood straight. "She wouldn't have wanted to go back, so we thank you for bringing her here."

"And why should I care about what she wants?" Zero questioned bitterly, stepping past the twins. He was still clinging to every bit of hate he still had for their race. Just because he had protected one vampire didn't mean he would hesitate to shoot another one if he had the chance.

"Because she can help you. That is as long as you're willing to take some of her blood," Sora answered.

Zero looked over his shoulder at the brown haired, blue eyed man. His lilac eyes narrowed as he studied him, but he said nothing.

"You want it, don't you?" Riku asked, his tall, lean form still propped against the wall and his head tilted to the ceiling. "Even a filthy low level vampire like you should be able to sense the power in her blood... It can chase away the shadows of insanity.. Or so I hear."

Zero's shoulders stiffened. He couldn't help but let his mind wander, to ponder over whether what Riku said was true or not. Would her blood really postpone his insanity? With a snort, he turned his back to the brothers once more. It didn't matter what her blood could do for him, he had no intention of drinking it.

His hand that was already on the door knob, twisted the cool metal and he strode into the bedroom beyond without another word. Shutting the door behind him and ignoring the hiss of displeasure from Riku who was not pleased about letting him in to the presence of his beloved mistress alone.

* * *

The shaky breath she inhaled made her writhe in discomfort as her face pulled into a pained grimace. Her eyes briefly squeezed tightly shut, wrinkling the skin around them before she relaxed and they fluttered tiredly open. A soft groan leaked from her dry throat and Kana lifted one of her hands to place her cool fingers over the silky skin of her throat. Her crimson eyes closed again, tiredly, as she let out a quiet breath.

Behind her closed eyelids a myriad of images danced and flickered like wisps of smoke. Memories she had forgotten, but that were now coming back to her. Some good, some bad and some that seemed absolutely benign. She saw Kaname behind his desk, looking up at her with a look crossed between happiness and a lustful hunger. She saw her wedding day, her old room in the castle and the window seat she had liked to sit in to read when the weather permitted it. She saw flashes of the days and nights that she and Kaname would spend alone with one another and along with the flashes of pleasure and pain, there were scenes of death and decay. The war that she had only ever seen through Kaname's blood before she had met Tristan and began to venture out of the castle grounds.

She saw Tristan, smiling at her with so much love and warmth that she could feel herself smiling slightly in response. Then everything darkened and she could feel her chest tightening and hands curling into fists. Tears stung her eyes and slipped beneath her clenched eyelids when she watched Tristan die once again. She could smell the blood, feel the warm wetness of it on her cheeks and her exposed chest. Her heart sped up, her breathing growing ragged when she turned away from Kaname who was leering at her with such a palpable amount of rage that all she could do was flee in the face of it and hope he never caught her.

It was night, dark and only little slivers of silvery moonlight filtered through the dense foliage of the forest she ran through. Her cloak billowed behind her, snagging and catching on branches and bushes. Cuts and scratchs began to blossom on her skin, dirt clung to the trails her tears left on her face and the blood that stained it. Leaves and twigs from dangling branches caught in her hair, pulling and tugging her normally perfect locks.

Even now she couldn't remember how long it was that she spent clumsily stumbling her way through the forest, all she could remember was that she ran until she no longer could. Her knees had given out and she had collapsed, breathing harshly and covered in dirt, blood and leaves. She had stayed in that spot for a long while staring unseeingly at the forest floor, everything had happened so quickly she was still struggling to sort through everything and come to terms with the reality of what Kaname had done.

The emotions she had felt then were quite similar to the ones she was feeling now. Fear, confusion, shock, terror and horror. Even anger and a swelling hatred towards the one person she had been bred to love forever, regardless of what he may have done to her. Loved him she had, but he had always denied her the one thing that she had found with Tristan. Happiness and a true sense of being wanted and loved. Kaname had thought of her as a belonging, an object that was his to do with as he pleased. Tristan had never thought of her in that way, he had thought of her as her own person with her own needs and wants, independent and strong. He had loved her for who she was inside and out, and he had made sure to tell her that as often as he could.

Kaname had destroyed Tristan and all of the good he was capable of without a single hint of remorse. He had viciously torn him apart and had halted all progress they had made in creating a world they would both have been happy to live in, a world free of war and needless bloodshed.

Tristan had not deserved the brutal fate he had met, he had deserved better and it was her fault that he had met such an end. He didn't deserve to be killed so gruesomely because of her hopes and dreams for a peaceful end to a seemingly endless war. In the end he hadn't cared about himself, he had worried about her, had looked her in the eye and told her he loved her and to run. He had once told her she had deserved better than what Kaname gave her, he had been right, but she wasn't the only one to deserve better than what the one they loved gave them. He had deserved to love someone who could have spent every moment by his side, but instead he had loved her and she had watched him die at the hands of her husband before turning her back on him and fleeing like a scared rat.

He had deserved better. And he deserved to be avenged.

"I thought it was some kind of taboo for a pureblood to cry. Especially in front of someone."

She sucked in a startled breath and turned her head on her pillow to blink at Zero who was sitting in an armchair by a window whose curtains were pulled tightly shut. For several moments she simply stared at him, confused by his presence and the look in his eyes that was so conflicted. He didn't want to be there, with her, but he also didn't want to leave.

Turning her head away, she let out a soft breath and closed her eyes. "I have never really cared what the vampire world thought of me. I only cared about Kaname.. For the longest time he was the only one whose opinion mattered."

"And now?" He wasn't sure why he asked the question, it just slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"..And now... I want nothing more than to take away everything he cares about and remind him that I am not the pliant queen he thought I was."

Zero's eyes flickered and his frown deepened. "I thought he was everything to you."

A mirthless smile lifted the corners of her red lips as she opened her eyes and looked over at Zero again. "He was, once, but then I met Tristan Kiryu."

"You loved him, didn't you?" He twitched at his own inability to stop speaking.

She nodded, the smile on her lips softening. "Yes, I loved him. What?" she asked, seeing the look on his face that said he didn't believe her. "You don't think it's possible for a vampire to love? Or do you think it's impossible for a pureblood to love a human? You asked the question, Zero, and you should already know that there are purebloods capable of loving humans." She studied him for a few minutes, he was now looking determinedly at anything but her and she could see in the set of his jaw and the lines around his eyes that were beginning to glow a blood red that he wasn't his usual self. He was thirsty and he was tired, drained judging by how relaxed he was despite being alone with her. He had never been as relaxed as he was now around her, around anyone that she had seen and it worried her.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she realized with mild surprise that she had fallen back to sleep after waking for the first time. A peaceful sleep, a restful sleep. It had been a long time since she had felt even remotely rested after waking from even the longest sleep. The feeling of peace though, the calmness that she felt was even more welcome than feeling awake. She felt like herself again, like there was no longer a raging storm inside of her that could change shape and intensity at any moment.

Taking a deep breath, her chest rising as her lungs expanded, she closed her eyes and released the breath slowly. Her throat was still dry and she cringed slightly when she swallowed reflexively to try and moisten it.

"There's water on the nightstand."

Her eyes snapped open again and she blinked at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head to see that Zero still sat in an armchair near a window that had its curtains drawn to allow the light of the nearly full moon to pour into the room. She knew she wasn't in her own room or even in the Moon Dorms, she had a feeling she was in the Headmaster's home. The décor was more personalized than she would think a dorm room would be and it was the only other place that would make any sense.

Turning her head, she noted the jug of water and clean glass on the bed side table. Sliding her feet towards the edge of the bed and sitting up, Kana moved aside a light blanket that had been placed over her and noticed with a slight frown that her nightgown was somewhat dirty as were her knees. Repositioning the blanket over her lap, she poured herself a glass of water and took a sip.

She attempted to hide the grimace of disappointment when the water did little to relieve her thirst.

By the window, Zero reached into a coat pocket to pull out a little black and silver tin. He tossed the tin at the bed, its contents clattering as it landed beside Kana. Looking down at the tin and then over her shoulder at Zero, her glass still raised near her lips, Kana nodded in thanks and placed her glass back onto the table. Picking up the tin and opening it, she took out two of the white pills and dropped them into her glass. She was about to close the tin, but took another pill and dropped it in her water that was now a light shade of red. Closing the tin, she set it on the nightstand and waited for the pills to dissolve entirely.

Once they had, she picked the glass up and leaned back into the pillows. She studied Zero who was gazing out of the window as if determined to ignore her existence. Sipping from her blood tablet infused water, Kana crinkled her nose in disgust at the incredibly poor substitute for the real thing.

"Thank you," she offered after a few minutes of silence. She placed her now empty glass on to the nightstand and turned to watch Zero curiously.

He grunted quietly in response, his cheek twitching.

"After going through the trouble of bringing me here and then watching over me, you would think you would have something to say," Kana observed. "Or a question to ask, at least." She let the silence envelope them for a few seconds and then continued. "No? You're just going to ignore me, Zero?" Sighing softly, Kana turned her own attention to the window. "It's a beautiful night," she murmured absently. "The moon is quite high. I must have been asleep for sometime."

The quiet engulfed them again. Kana listened to the wind outside rustling through the trees and grass, she caught the delicate scent of what she thought were night blooming primroses and relished the beautiful, calming scent before it blew away on the next breeze that rustled the curtains.

Turning her attention back to Zero's blank face, Kana studied him curiously. He was reclining into the armchair, his jacket was tossed over the back and he had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. He looked quite comfortable and at ease while the moonlight gave a soft glow to his skin. Except that when she looked a little closer, she could see how tired his eyes looked and how his normally pale skin was even more pale than usual. When she looked into his eyes she sighed, she knew that look all too well.

Pushing the blanket off of her body, she slid to the edge of the bed and poured a glass of water to which she added two of the blood tablets from the tin Zero had tossed at her earlier. Standing up, she walked to Zero and offered the glass to him. He looked from the glass into her eyes with a withering look of disgust.

Kana wasn't bothered by the look and continued to steadily hold the glass out to him. "You're thirsty. I can see in your eyes that you need to drink. I don't know what happened, but I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you were shot with an anti-vampire weapon." She paused long enough to register the flicker in his eyes that said she was right and he wasn't happy about it. "You need to replenish the blood you lost, the tablets may not be much, but they will help. You-"

"I'm fine," Zero cut in coldly.

"Would you rather have my blood?" She asked boldly, watching him to see how he would respond.

His eyes narrowed and he growled under his breath. He met her blank stare with angry eyes.

"Well, would you?" She asked casually when he didn't reply, tilting an eyebrow at him.

"No," he growled.

"Yuuki's then? You're quite attached to her, aren't you? And she's such a good little girl that I'm sure if you just asked-"

"Shut up," Zero snapped, pushing himself up and brushing roughly past Kana.

"That was rather rude," Kana complained, setting the glass she had held out to him down and shaking her hands since they had been coated in some of the liquid that had sloshed out of the glass when Zero had bumped into her. "My nightgown was dirty enough." With a distasteful frown, she pulled her night gown away from her body with the tips of her thumb and forefinger. A sigh slipped from her lips when she released it and let it fall back into place, she wrinkled her nose when the dampened fabric clung to the skin of her slim torso.

Zero, who was on his way to the door, looked over his shoulder at an irritated Kana who was grumbling to herself while trying to find something to dry herself off with. Cheek twitching, he walked through an open door to the right and came back out with a hand towel.

"Here." He handed the towel to Kana who looked up at him with mild disinterest before she saw the towel in his hand and her expression softened.

"Thank you," she said, taking the towel from him and drying her hands before dabbing at her now damp nightgown. She huffed in frustration when her attempts to dry herself sufficiently failed.

"She offered... I told her no."

Kana hummed distractedly and blinked up at Zero who was leaning into the wall by the window, most of his upper body hidden in the darkness the little moonlight didn't penetrate. "And why would you do that, Zero?"

He cast a glare at her as if the answer should have been obvious. "I didn't want it."

"No?" She asked disbelievingly, going back to dabbing at her nightgown with feigned interest. "My mistake. Seems I misunderstood the reason why you bit her the first time. I thought you wanted her blood, desired it." Finally giving up on her nightgown, she let herself fall into the chair Zero had occupied. She let her legs hang over one of the arms while she leaned comfortably into the other and stared up at Zero. "Why do you look so disgusted? It's normal."

Zero snorted. "For you. I'm not like you, I'm-"

"A vampire," Kana finished, folding her arms over her chest and leaning her head against the chair back. "You're not human, Zero. Not anymore. Glare at me all you'd like, but it doesn't change anything. You are a vampire and vampires need to drink blood in order to survive. It's unfortunate, but it's the reality of things. You can deny it for as long as you would like, but you will eventually go mad lusting for the blood you are trying so hard to deny yourself. You will kill innocent people and you will do so joyfully because you will no longer care about the lives of the humans you wish to protect at this very moment."

His hands clenched so tightly his nails threatened to tear into the flesh of his palms.

Kana studied him closely, his tight expression, his eyes that held so much emotion despite how hard he tried to hide everything behind layers of bitterness and anger. "You know I'm not lying or embellishing any of the details. As a Vampire Hunter you should be well aware of what happens to those who are bitten by a pureblood and not given their blood."

Snorting angrily, Zero strode briskly through the room and towards the door.

"You will bite her again," Kana said, her voice blank and monotone.

Halting near the door, he looked over his shoulder and glared at the back of Kana's head.

"You may have told her no once, but the next time she offers, because she most certainly will offer again... You will not say no." She spoke calmly, almost as if she were speaking to a frightened animal that might try to flee if she were to make any sudden movements or loud noises.

He wanted to leave, to storm out of the room. He didn't want to deal with Kana and what she was saying. It annoyed him, made him angry. Not because of how she spoke so indifferently, but because she was right and he didn't want to admit it. Yet his feet wouldn't move from where they were and he found himself scowling at the door with his hands clenched into tight balls at his sides.

Several long seconds of silence settled over the dark room before Kana spoke again. She was still relaxed and her voice was like a soft breeze, quiet and cool. "Would you like to say no, Zero?"

His scowl twitched into a suspicious, confused frown as he turned his head to glance over his shoulder at the pureblood woman who was gazing out of the window blankly.

A soft, barely audible sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes to feel the moonlight against her cheeks that were tinged the slightest bit red by the chill breeze that was blowing through the window.

For a few moments, Zero simply stared at her uncertainly. Kana seemed as if she had finished speaking and would offer no explanation as to what she had meant when she had asked if he would like to say no. He was beginning to think she had fallen asleep when her lips moved and her voice once again floated across the room.

"I would like you to say no, but I suppose what I want is of no consequence to you, is it?"

Brows furrowing, Zero asked, "Why does it even matter you?" It came out less harsh than he had intended and sounded more curious than angered.

"It matters because you matter," she answered simply.

"You don't even know me," he pointed out, this time sounding rather abrasive.

"Perhaps I would like to."

"Why?"

Opening her eyes and sitting up straight, she turned to Zero and studied him for a moment. "Honestly?" She sighed and leaned back into the chair, letting her head rest on the cushion as she stared ahead of herself. "I would like us to help each other."

"And why would I help you?" He snapped.

"I owe the Hunter's Association a great deal, your clan more than anything considering it was the Kiryu's who were responsible for creating what I had envisioned and it was my fault that Tristan was so brutally taken from this world. I don't feel the Kiryu's owe me anything, but the Association as a whole does and you know it. If it weren't for me there would be no Association because none of you would be able to actually stand up against a vampire and live... Besides that though, I could help with the problem or your approaching insanity."

"I don't want anything from you," he hissed.

"Then why are you here, Zero?" She asked, turning to look at him almost lazily. "Why stay and watch over me when Sora and Riku are right outside and have looked after me for centuries? You must want something from me to place yourself in the presence of such a vile and disgusting being as myself."

The questions surprised him, he hadn't expected them and it showed in his eyes and the expression on his face as he met her eyes with nothing to say in reply.

Shaking her head, Kana took a breath and released it slowly while closing her eyes. "You're a stubborn one, Zero. You would rather cling to your hatred because it's all you know than admit that you have actually come to accept a vampire. You may not think of me as a friend, but you don't think of me as an enemy either. So what to do you consider me?"

"Annoying," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

A chuckle escaped Kana and she gave a soft smile to Zero. "I have been talking a bit much, haven't I?"

"Usually," he replied sourly. Grimacing he turned away from Kana, the way she had moved had allowed her hair to fall away from her neck and expose her steady, inviting pulse and he was reminded that he was rather thirsty.

Kana had noticed the look on Zero's face as he looked away from her and the growing glimmer in his eyes that gave away the fact he was thirsty. Taking in a long, relaxed breath, she stood up slowly not failing to notice the way Zero's muscles tensed and the fingers of the hand that was near his Bloody Rose gun convulsed instinctively.

She stepped closer to him, her eyes locked on his refusing to let go. Even in the darkness she could see the way they narrowed and even flashed warningly. She stopped a mere footstep away, her body glowing ephemerally in the rays of moonlight that glowed behind her.

"You may not want it, Zero, but you need blood." Her voice was hardly above a whisper, a quiet and calm breeze in the darkest of nights. Raising her right hand, she slowly lifted her pale fingers and brushed them against Zero's cheek, he flinched away from her fingers and grabbed on to her wrist to pull it away from him. "Stop," she whispered pleadingly. "Stop thinking. Stop fighting. Stop ignoring everything your instincts tell you. You are not a monster. You are not disgusting. I know this wasn't your choice, Zero, and if I could I would change what happened to you.. I owe your ancestors that much at least... You have a choice to make. Either come to terms with who you are now or die by the hands of people you thought of as comrades."

She closed the distance between them when he said nothing and only stared at her with narrowed eyes and his jaw clenched. Leaning into him and staring up into his eyes, Kana kept their eyes locked, ignoring the smoldering look of protest burning in his lilac eyes.

"You want my blood, don't you?" She asked huskily, her breath splashing over his neck. She could hear his heartbeat quicken and feel his body tense. Reaching over her shoulder, she pulled her hair to one side so her neck was completely exposed.

He raised his hands to push her away in disgust, to refuse to drink her blood and unleash a furious onslaught of words to express his immense hatred of her. His hands didn't do as he instructed them and he realized then that even though his body wasn't responding the way he was willing it to, it was responding. He had thought Kana was controlling him, making him stand still while she pressed her barely clothed body against his and caressed his cheek. A growl leaked from his throat as his hands placed themselves on her arms carefully as if she would break into millions of pieces if he didn't touch her with care. Hissing through his teeth, he tried to push her away, but couldn't.

Shifting so she could see him through the corner of her eyes, Kana watched the storm raging in eyes for a moment straightening up so she could stare up into his eyes unhindered. With an absent sigh she gently placed her hands on either side of his face and tenderly smoothed the creases beneath his troubled eyes. "Why did you say no to Yuuki, Zero? You drank her blood once, you desired it then, didn't you? If so, why-

"Shut up," he growled, his hands wrapping around her despite his efforts to get himself to release her. His fingers were tangled in her long hair and he pulled slightly to get her head to tilt backwards.

"Sorry," she answered breathlessly, shuddering and closing her eyes when he bent his head towards her neck and she could feel his breath rushing against her skin. Her arms lightly wrapped around him to steady herself since he was holding her in a way that made her lean back and become unbalanced.

He could hear her heart pounding, pushing her blood through her veins and he could smell the sweet, flowery scent of her hair. His chest tightened in response and he could feel his own body responding to the temptation of her blood as his fangs lengthened and sharpened. His thoughts were overwhelmed with her, her scent, her breathing, her body pinned against his. She was all he could think about and the answer to the question she had asked: why he had chosen to not bite Yuuki when she had offered him her blood the day before, was suddenly rather clear. He hadn't wanted her blood, it wasn't appealing to him and the thought of drinking it made his stomach churn. He also remembered having attacked Yuuki before his teacher had shot him, he hadn't realized it was Yuuki then. It was someone else his eyes had chosen to see. Someone else's blood he had wanted.

Kana gasped when his fangs tore through the thin flesh of her neck and his warm lips closed over the wounds to capture the liquid that was allowed to flow from them. Her eyes closed and she began to see bits and piece of her past glide over them, Zero was getting the answers he wanted. Most of the scenes were nothing special and didn't effect her in anyway until she saw the leering faces of several people standing over her, their mouths dripping with red blood. Her blood.

She sucked in a surprised rush of air and her eyes flew open as she grasped tightly to Zero who, sensing her distress and was brought back to reality, removed his fangs from her neck. He kept his hold on her though afraid that if he released her she would fall to the floor, she was shaking so badly. She was breathing harshly as she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head into his chest while continuing to cling to him.

It took a moment for him to fully understand what he had seen, but when he did he felt disgusted by it. Kana had given herself to those who made the Hunter's Association of her time and had offered her blood to them to make amends for what had happened to Tristan and to ensure that they would be able to stand up against the vampires on almost equal footing. They had greedily devoured her blood to make themselves stronger and in doing so had relished making her suffer. They had very nearly killed her and they hadn't cared in the slightest. Yet she hadn't minded, he had sensed it in her blood. She had felt she deserved the fate and treatment she was receiving from the people she had offered herself to to make amends for Tristan's death.

"It wasn't your fault."

The words surprised Kana and she was so startled by them that she stopped trembling to look up at Zero with wide eyes. They were still so close that when she looked up they both became incredibly aware of the fact that their lips were only a few inches apart. They also became aware of how close they really were and the position they were in, arms wrapped around one another as if they were lovers.

"Thank you," she whispered absently. She grimaced as she spoke and unraveled her arms from around Zero to lightly touch her fingers to the two puncture wounds in her neck. They were healing, but much too slowly and there was still blood leaking from, she could feel its wetness on her fingertips and running down her collarbone. Looking at the red smudges on her pale skin, Kana suddenly realized she was still very tired. "I think I need to lie down."

Everything blurred as if a heavy mist had settled over everything and all Kana was able to register was that she was being helped into the bed and covered with a blanket before she once again past into the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

He wasn't going to regret drinking Kana's blood. He had goals and he wouldn't throw them away yet. He wouldn't give up yet. He could feel Kana's blood pulsing through his veins and it was the first time in a long time that he felt even remotely like himself. There was no intense craving for blood, no urges to lose himself in. His mind was blissfully quiet and calm. His thoughts clear and coherent.

Zero glanced up from where he sat on the bed that had once been his in the Headmaster's private home when the door open and his shaggy haired teacher walked into the room. Toga Yagari was a Vampire Hunter, one of the best and he had trained Zero before his family had been murdered.

"You look well for someone who was shot just the other day," the man remarked, his one good eye that wasn't hidden behind an eye patch scrutinized Zero closely. "Whose blood did you drink? That little prefect's or perhaps that pretty little pureblood's whose side you've barely left since yesterday morning."

"What do you want?" Zero asked bitterly. "I thought you were leaving."

"There's something I thought you should know. A rumor I heard."

"What rumor?"

"That woman." His one good eye flickered to the tattoo on Zero's neck. "She's still alive."

Eyes widening, Zero stared up at Yagari in disbelief. He knew who he was referring to when he mentioned 'that woman'. The woman that had murdered his family and had turned him into a vampire. Shizuka Hio, a pureblood that had been thought dead since she had disappeared not long after her attack on his family. He had doubted that she actually was dead, but to hear that she still lived from someone he trusted was a confirmation he had needed.

"Zero? Zero, are you alright? What's going on? Why weren't you in class?" Yuuki pushed past Yagari in a rush to stand in front of Zero. Her chocolate brown eyes where looking him over to make sure he was in one piece and she seemed almost surprised to find him looking as healthy as ever.

"I'm fine, Yuuki." He stood from the bed and made his way to the bathroom. "You should go back to class."

"B-but..." she trailed off uncertainly. This wasn't the Zero she had offered her blood to the night before. He didn't seem to hate himself, didn't seem like he was waiting, hoping for someone to kill him. This Zero looked like he had a purpose. She felt foolish for leaving class, but she had wanted to help him. He was her friend and she didn't want to see him give up on life just because he felt he didn't deserve to live. It seemed she had no reason to worry about that anymore.

* * *

~A/N~

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter to be honest. I wanted there to be more emotion and more of a connection to be formed between Zero and Kana.. I just haven't been able to write anything I like and not just for this story either. It seems the dreaded Writer's Block beast has sunk it's claws into me yet again...

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10 What We Are

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 10**

**What We Are**

"_The courage to pull away, there will be hell to pay, the deeper you cut to the bone.."_

Wiping a little trail of warm blood from her lips as she turned away from Sora, Kana absently licked the smear of crimson from her hand and stared towards the window. The sun was beginning to sink into the horizon which she knew meant that night classes would be starting vaguely soon. Classes she had no intention of attending.

Being sure that his neck was clear of blood as the two wounds in it began to sew themselves shut, Sora shrugged his pale blue button up back on and began to redo the buttons. He saw Kana release a small, quiet sigh before walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. The sound of running water filling the tub drifted out to him and he glanced to the door, Riku was just returning with some of Kana's things from the Moon Dorms.

Upon entering the room, Riku glanced at his brother as the man tucked his shirt back into his slacks. Riku's cheek twitched and with a quiet snort, the green eyed twin set a small suitcase on the bed and sat beside it. "She always did like your blood better," he muttered jealously.

"Maybe it's because I'm not as bitter as you often are," Sora suggested blandly, adjusting the sleeves of his shirt and reaching for a smoky gray sweater vest that he pulled on over the button up.

Riku shot his brother a glare and growled quietly at him before snorting and looking away towards the bathroom. "How is she feeling?"

"I don't know. She hasn't said anything since she sent you to get some of her things from the dorm. She seems more like her self. A little distracted and lost in thought, but she doesn't seem to be confused about her own feelings and memories anymore."

"Has she remembered everything, do you think?" Riku inquired curiously.

Sora shook his head and frowned as he glanced at the bathroom door. "I don't know. It's likely that she's remembered most of it, but considering how much there was for her to remember there are probably bits and pieces she will recall as time passes."

Frowning at the bathroom door, Riku nodded in understanding. "Especially considering what happened when she let that..." He trailed off angrily, a soft hiss escaping his clenched teeth as he recalled that Kana had allowed Zero to bite her.

"Leave the boy alone, Riku," Sora warned, noticing the hatred radiating from his brother.

"I don't need you telling me what to do, Sora," he snapped coldly. "I know better than to touch him, but that doesn't mean that I can't think about ripping his head from his shoulders."

"You should learn to control your jealousy... I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of Zero Kiryu."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

Eyes flickering, but his face not betraying a single emotion, Sora glanced at Riku evenly. "Whether it bothers me or not doesn't matter, Riku. Neither of us have any say in who Kana chooses to befriend."

"You will never admit it, will you?"

"Admit what?" Sora asked guardedly, folding his arm over his chest as he kept his eyes focused on his sibling.

"That you're in love with Kana."

His blue eyes flickered again, but Sora still remained outwardly blank. "I'm not in love with lady Kana," he replied.

"Of course you're not. That's like me saying I hate her. We both know it's a lie." He laughed bitterly and shook his head.

"Riku-"

"Never mind, Sora, forget I said anything because we both know you'll never act on your feelings."

"It wouldn't make a difference, Riku, you know that. She cares about us, she may even love us, but she is not in love with either of us."

"I've always known that. It's never bothered me," Riku said, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.

"Yes, well, I'm not like you," Sora pointed out with a twinge of annoyed arrogance.

"Right, I forgot, you're a gentleman," Riku drawled with a smirk.

"It's better than being an annoying lout."

Riku shrugged and laid back on the bed with is hands behind his head. "I'm perfectly fine with the way I am. It doesn't bother me."

Sighing, Sora rubbed at his temples and closed his eyes. "You're giving me a headache."

"So sorry, dear brother," Riku replied sarcastically.

Silence fell over them as the bath water was shut off and the sound of a body sliding into the water reached their ears. Leaving Riku to loaf on the bed, Sora took a seat in the chair by the window. It still had a lingering smell that he knew was Zero's and it made his cheek twitch unconsciously as he settled himself into the seat.

* * *

Arms folded over her chest, Kana stared blankly out of the window and into the nighttime sky. Night classes had started several hours before, but she sensed only a few students in the classroom. She was curious as to what would make so many of the students skip class and remain in the dorm, just as Kaname had. Turning away from the window, she strode towards the bedroom door, past where Sora and Riku who were both lounging near the window too. Riku in the chair while Sora leaned against it.

"My lady?" Sora inquired after her as she past.

She glanced over her shoulder when she reached the door. "We're going to the Moon Dorms. There's something going on and since no one has bothered to inform any of us as to what that something is, I'm inclined to think our presence isn't wanted."

"Or Kaname could just want to leave you in peace," Sora suggested.

Kana laughed bitterly. "I doubt that, Sora."

"It's been thousands of years since-"

"I know how long it has been, Sora," Kana cut in coldly. "I know you would like me to believe or at least think it possible that Kaname had changed, but I won't. I have known him much longer and in ways no one else has. Kaname is excellent at fooling those around him into believing whatever he wants them to, he always has been."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know, Sora," Kana cut in again, turning to smile at the long haired man. "You just want what is best for me and you believe he has changed from the man I knew, but that is what he would like you to believe, Sora."

"Kana," Riku sighed, stepping up beside the shorter woman and placing a hand on her shoulder when the loneliest of looks crossed her face and she looked sadly away.

"I'm alright, Riku," she assured him. "I understand that I must sound paranoid, Sora, but you have stood by me this long and never doubted me. I would like for you to keep doing that, but-"

"I don't doubt you, my lady." Sora looked conflicted as he interrupted the pureblood.

Riku glanced at his struggling brother and sighed while trying not to roll his eyes. "Sora is trying to say that it may be best to be careful how you approach Kaname here. We understand your loathing of him and we aren't telling you to trust him.. I would prefer if you killed him now honestly," he muttered under her his breath with a huff before quickly continuing when Kana glanced sideways up at him with a tweaked eyebrow. "He's saying not to rush into things, you want to avenge the death of someone important to you, but this world leaves you with few allies while he has many. And as much as I hate to admit it, it may be best to befriend Kaname, or appear to, for the time being. Isn't that what you were trying to say, Sora?"

Sora blinked at his twin, it was one of the first times he had witnessed the man acting more like a man and less like a child. "It is," he replied uncertainly.

Smiling, Kana rested a hand on Riku's cheek and stood on her toes to kiss the corner of his lips. She chuckled when he blushed happily. "Well said, Riku. There's nothing to worry about though. For either of you. I have no plan on rushing things, that does not mean, however, that I can't have a little fun in the meantime."

"Somehow that doesn't put me much at ease," Riku replied, grinning and chuckling when Kana turned to glare playfully at him.

"I agree with you, Riku. I feel more worried now than I was before," Sora spoke up, smiling innocently when Kana turned her playful glare at him.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be the troublemaker of the group, is that right? I happen to have met you before, Riku," Kana teased, poking the green eyed man in the chest. "And I happen to know you're the troublemaker and Sora is the level headed one that usually keeps us out of trouble."

"And what does that make you, my lady?" Sora inquired.

"It makes me less of a troublemaker and more of a..."

"Troublemaking assistant?" Riku suggested.

"You're both impossible, but if I'm going to be considered a troublemaker I'm going to earn the title." Kana tossed a mischievous smirk over her shoulder as she opened the door and skipped out into the hall.

Sora sighed and gestured for Riku to follow. "Stay close to her. There's another presence drawing near and I'm sure she's noticed already. I don't like the feel of it."

"I sense it too. Feels.. dirty," Riku agreed, wriggling his nose as if he could smell the presence and it stunk of rotten things.

Upon opening the door, a cool wind blew into the home of Headmaster Cross and Kana looked away and closed her eyes to keep the dirt from them. She reached down to smooth her dress out, but remembered that she was not wearing a dress, but pants instead. She had to admit that despite her dislike for the style of the modern era, the clothes were quite comfortable. She still felt odd in them being used to long skirts and laced corsets, but she couldn't say she really missed either much.

She wore simple, but flattering black slacks with slightly wide legs, stylish black high heeled shoes poked out from beneath their hem. Her red blouse was long and loose, the neck was split down the front and ruffles lined each side to just below her bust. A shiny red ribbon was tied into a neat bow behind her back and the ends were dancing in the breeze blowing through the door.

Absently brushing a few strands of her long hair that had escaped the somewhat messy bun she had twisted her hair into, Kana stepped into the night with Sora and Riku following silently behind. The door clicked shut behind them and they began to walk across the quiet grounds of the academy. The wind was making leaves and fallen flower buds skid and slide across the ground while the leaves of the trees and bushes helped to create a cacophony of noise that reminded Kana of the river that had once flowed outside of the old abandoned manor she had last slept in.

Tilting her face into the breeze as she walked, she breathed the scent of earth, flowers and the distant smell of coming rain. It was a beautiful smell and she barely registered the soft smile that formed on her lips. She came to a stop as she breathed in deeply. It had been quite a long time since she had actually been able to fully utilize her senses and be in complete control of them, the sensation was extremely gratifying. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face up into the night sky. It was cloudy, but the wind was moving the clouds rather quickly and she could feel the moonlight caressing her face. She could smell the animals nearby that had all become attuned to her presence and were warily monitoring it so they could decide whether or not to run. She could sense the sleeping Day Class students in their beds, at least that's were most were. Some were up and whispering together about the most recent gossip or trying to help classmates with homework they didn't understand.

She could also feel the presence of someone new on the academy grounds. An older vampire judging by the scent. Beneath all of that though she could sense Zero unhappily patrolling the grounds and trying his hardest to avoid Yuuki. She couldn't help but to smirk a little in victory. She knew she had no reason to blame the child for anything, but that didn't matter. She had been born into a world that was not what she thought it and Kana would make sure the little child realized that. But that was all to come in time.

Kana would not forget what she was and now she had nothing to lose. She had no attachments to anyone or anything in this world. Except for Sora and Riku who she knew would mourn her, but they would survive. They would be free when she had her revenge and that thought made her smile. She cared very much about them and didn't want them to ever leave her side and she knew they wouldn't. Not so long as she lived. She had done that for so long that she was beginning to loathe it. She had lost more than she had ever gained and now she wanted nothing more than to show those responsible for her loss that she was capable of much more than they had ever realized.

"My lady?" Sora questioned softly, worry ripe in his voice as he stepped toward the unmoving woman.

Humming, Kana turned and offered a smile. "Sorry, I guess I got lost in the moment. It just feels like such a long time since I was last in complete control that being able to sense everything, to feel everything, is a bit overwhelming."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sora asked.

Kana smiled again, this time lifting a hand to rest it on the man's cheek. Her thumb caressed the bone beneath the flesh before dropping to her side again. Her smiled faltered, becoming more sad and regretful than it had been seconds before. Glancing off into the darkness that surrounded the Academy, she sighed tiredly. "I've been blind. Mostly by choice and I am sorry for that... You'll be fine."

"My lady?" Sora inquired in confusion as Kana turned away.

Glancing over her shoulder, Kana smiled again. This one was full of warmth and feeling, the complete opposite of the one that had been on her face seconds before. "I've lost track of time, we should get moving lest we miss out on the fun."

Sora and Riku exchanged uncertain, confused looks before following after the petite vampire as she gracefully strode through the darkened grounds.

* * *

"Well, well," Kana mused, her musical voice drifting easily through the open doors of the Moon Dormitory. "What have we here? A guest?" She stepped through the doors, her shoes clicking on the smooth marble tiles of the dorm's entry way.

Her lips lifted ever so slightly when Kaname turned towards her, his eyes flickering and betraying to her that her presence was indeed not wanted at the moment. The man beside him, an aging noble level vampire turned to her. His surprise was easily seen despite the perpetual look of unhappiness that seemed to be on his face. He had not been expecting another pureblood vampire.

"I wasn't aware there was another pureblood attending Cross Academy," the white haired man began. His voice was deep and carried a level of authority that grated on Kana's nerves.

The smile remained her lips as she took a few steps towards Kaname. "I wasn't aware that it was the concern of a noble what a pureblood chose to do with their time."

Tensions were rising in the room, Kana could feel it like electricity building in the air. She stepped up to Kaname's side and studied the noble vampire. He was tall, intimidating looking and wore mostly black. His dark eyes were on Kana and it was quite obvious that he was not pleased with how she spoke to him.

"Ichio, this is Kana, she is a guest here," Kaname informed the vampire that was still studying Kana.

"The Council is not aware of a pureblood by that name," Ichio replied suspiciously.

A murmur went around the room, but the eyes off all those present were fixed on the two purebloods and the one old noble.

"Your Council does not matter to me," Kana replied, the last remnants of her lingering smile disappearing from her face.

"The Council is the governing body of our race. Our rules are in place for a reason, everyone, pureblood or otherwise is to obey them. It-"

"Is corrupt and vile. Who are you, a noble that is little more than a child compared to me to tell me, a pureblood, who I must obey? You should remember who you are speaking to."

"An unknown pureblood has no right-"

"Unknown?" Kana repeated vehemently with a bitter laugh. Her eyes flashed and Ichio fell to one knee in front of her. He sneered at her, but she ignored it. He was no more a threat to her than a fly.

"That is enough, Kana," Kaname warned quietly.

"Things may not be what they were thousands of years ago, Kaname, but I will not take orders from this Council you've let run free like rabid dogs. I am Kana Kuran," she said, her eyes on the vampire knelt before her. "The Kana Kuran and I am your former queen. I suggest you remember that."

"Kana Kuran died," Ichio hissed.

"No, she didn't," Kaname replied as if it were not something he had wished to say. "She was saved."

The room was silent for a moment before the whispers and murmurs of confused and surprised vampires filled it.

"The Council will need to be informed of this," Ichio said.

"Then inform them," Kana retorted.

"Her presence here-"

"Is not disturbing the peace of the academy or interfering with the Council," Kaname cut in. "She is my guest and she will remain here. She is of no concern to the Council."

Ichio's eyes flickered. "She is a great concern. There are agreements in place between the Council and the purebloods, agreements-"

"That Kana is still learning of. She is no threat to you," Kaname cut in again.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kana murmured, her smile returning to her lips as she slipped from Kaname's side to rejoin Sora and Riku who waited by the door.

* * *

"If you wanted to ensure that the entire vampire world was aware of who you are and where you, you have."

"You don't sound pleased, Kaname," Kana observed, turning her attention away from the view that the window of her temporary room in the Headmaster's home.

Kaname leaned into the door after shutting it behind himself. Sora and Riku watched him like hawks from where they each sat, Sora in the single chair and Riku reclining on the bed with a book in his hands.

"The Council has been the predominant ruling power for several thousand years. Since I created it in hopes that transferring power from one ruler to a Council of those I deemed capable of maintaining the precarious peace I managed to create."

Kana laughed bitterly and spun back around to grasp onto the window frame. "And why should I believe you, Kaname? You did everything in your power to destroy any hope of peace between our kind and the humans. You murdered innocent people and wiped entire families from the face of the earth. Peace had no meaning to you."

"But it had meaning to you," he replied quietly.

Shaking her head sadly, Kana closed her eyes and took in a long breath. "What had meaning to me, Kaname, never had meaning to you. How can you expect me to believe you changed after I watched you destroy life after life like it was nothing?"

"It was in my nature."

"And it's not now?"

Kaname was silent for several moments before answering. "You already know the answer to that."

"It will always be in your nature," Kana murmured regretfully, staring out into the night without really seeing anything. "It will always be in _our_ nature... We are what we are."

"We are what we are," Kaname repeated. "We can't change that."

"You're right, we can't," Kana agreed, turning from the window to face Kaname again. "If you are aware that we cannot change what we are, then why try to convince me you have changed?"

Kaname let his dark eyes flicker between the twin brothers and Kana took the hint that he wanted to speak alone. She sighed and leaned against the window frame.

"Sora, Riku would you give us a moment?" Kana requested.

Neither man appeared thrilled with the request, but they both wordlessly obliged. Kaname stepped away from the door and waited for the two to shut the door before he turned his attention back to Kana. Her eyes wearily watched him as she stepped away from the window to sink into the chair Sora had vacated. They never left him as he walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge of it just across from her.

"You can say what you'd like, Kaname. Just know it's not likely going to change anything. I still resent you, I still hate you for what you took from me and I have no intention of ever forgiving you."

"You asked why I would try to convince you that I had changed after agreeing that we can't change what we are," he said. "But that's only true to an extent. Human or not we have the ability to make choices that can separate us from what is typically expected."

"Don't speak in circles, Kaname."

"I'm not. We are what we are, Kana, and as you said that will never change. What we are does not define who we are though. We each have the ability to make choices that make us different from what is expected of us."

"You're saying you made choices that weren't expected of you?" Kana inquired tiredly.

"You still don't know how you lived, do you? When the association of hunters you had that man create-"

"That man had a name," Kana cut in coldly.

"He did, but like you will never forgive me for taking his life, I will never forgive him for taking you."

Kana's breath stuck in her throat and she swallowed, blinking back surprised tears and turning to stare out the window. "It isn't him you should blame," she said softly.

"And you think I don't know that?"

"I don't know, Kaname, do you?"

"I won't forgive him for taking what was mine, even the fault was my own."

"You always were possessive," Kana muttered.

"Kana-"

"Just get to the point, Kaname. You keep straying from it and that means I have to suffer through more of being in your presence than I would like."

"You offered your blood to Kiryu earlier, didn't you?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It's none of your business."

"You must be thirsty."

"You already know I'm not. I drank from Sora earlier. I have no intention of drinking your blood."

"You want to know whether or not I'm lying about creating the Council for the sake of peace, even if it was precarious and the Council turned into something I had never intended. I can show you that much easier, and more quickly-"

"If I drink your blood," Kana interrupted dejectedly. She sighed and stared into Kaname's eyes for several long moments. "Fine." Standing slowly from the chair, she approached Kaname reluctantly. Her heart was beating just a little faster than usual in her chest and her hand was shaking slightly, much to her annoyance, as she reached for Kaname.

"I would never hurt you, Kana," Kaname assured her.

Her eyes closed and she shook her head as he rested the palm of his hand against her cheek. "But you have, Kaname, and that is something you can't change."

Kana let Kaname gently guide her onto the bed as he laid down so she could be on top of him and in more control of the situation. Lowering her head to Kaname's neck, she opened her mouth and took a deep breath before pressing her fangs into the flesh that easily gave way so that his blood began to flow freely into her mouth that she closed over the wound. She let the blood flow slowly, trickling into her mouth so she could better analyze it. The point was not to simply drink his blood, but to feel it and to allow it to show her the past. His past and the things he had supposedly done to try and create a peaceful coexistence between human and vampire.

It took several long minutes for Kana to begin to sort through the memories that began to flood her mind. The most recent were closer to the surface, but since her reappearance his thoughts had constantly strayed to the past. Their past. She searched through the visions until she found a scene she recognized.

She could see herself through his eyes as she had been thousands of years before. Her long hair was gathered in a simple braid and resting over her shoulder as she reclined into the couch that had been in the room Kaname had used as an office in their castle. Her crimson dress was a stunning contrast to her pale skin and the golden trim served to make her look as if her pale skin was glowing. She was beautiful. That's what he was thinking, Kana could sense it and she could sense the feeling of love beneath it, but it was distant. He loved her, he cared about her, but those thoughts and feelings were buried beneath others. She was his, he knew that, she knew that. It mattered little if he loved her, love was not what was important.

Kana let the memory slip away as a tear slid from between her closed eyelids. She had loved him so much, her entire life revolved solely around him and pleasing him, loving him. She had always known he had taken her for granted, and that came as no surprise, but that didn't change the fact that it still hurt. He had never loved her the way she had loved him, she really had been just a belonging, a treasured one, but a belonging nonetheless.

She had gone back further than she had wanted to see and calmed herself as she lost herself in the memories of the weeks before Tristan's death. Much had happened, most involving the war and meetings involving the key players on the side of the vampires. There was nothing there to support what he had said about wanting peace, but she didn't stop looking.

Her hands curled over the fabric of Kaname's shirt, her eyes clenched tightly shut and warm salty tears began to slide down her pale cheeks, some dropping onto the bed, others dropping onto Kaname's face. She could feel his arms wrapping around her, trying to offer some type of comfort as she witnessed the brutal murder of Tristan at his hands. She could feel the rage he had felt then, it was blinding and uncontrolled. He wasn't thinking about what he was doing, he was reacting only on anger.

He turned and Kana saw herself again. Standing unmoving in shock behind him, tears leaking from her wide crimson eyes. She could see the fear in her own eyes, the unadulterated and raw emotion was hard to miss. Kaname moved and she watched herself turn to flee into the woods.

For a long time, it was as if nothing changed. Kaname remained standing only a few feet from the cooling body of Tristan, staring after Kana as the rage began to subside from his mind. Something had changed then, she could feel it in her entire body, but mainly in her heart.

He regretted what he had done. It was the first time that Kaname had ever regretted anything and an understanding had come over him about all of the things he had done wrong. All of the things he had taken for granted. He looked down at his blood stained hand for several minutes while a myriad of emotions flooded through him, many of them emotions he had tried to ignore or never thought he had possessed.

It was overwhelming to be able to feel everything Kaname had felt so long, and even more so to know that he truly regretted his actions and the pain he had caused her. She wanted to pull away, to stop all of the feelings from making her want to forgive him. She would never forgive him. She couldn't, she didn't know how, but his emotions from so long ago made her wish she did despite how much she didn't want to.

Time passed again, only a matter of days and once again she saw herself. Only this time she was on the verge of death. Her body lie in the dirt, blood covering much of her pale skin and what little was left leaking onto the ground. Her wrists had been slit, as had her neck. Places that easily pumped out fresh blood. In the distance the backs of those that made up the Hunter's Association that Tristan had begun on her advice were disappearing into the night. Not one of them appeared to care about the once beautiful pureblood whose life's blood they had greedily spilled and drunk. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be perfectly motionless, she would have believed herself to be dead if not for the fact that she could hear a faint flutter of a weak heart and the fact that she hadn't simply turned to dust.

She barely remembered that night. She certainly didn't remember Kaname ever being anywhere nearby. In the years that had past after she had survived to wake up in confusion on a bed in an aging castle that smelled of dust and earth she had often wondered how she had made it from the dirt to the bed. An answer had never been given to her, but now she had one.

Kaname had sensed her life slipping away and had gone in search of her. He had bitten his own wrist to provide her with blood that had made her survival possible and he had then taken her to a place she could recover in in peace. He hadn't wanted to leave her side, hadn't wanted to leave her in a place she didn't know on her own. No protection, no companion, nothing. Yet he had and she could feel his reluctance to do so. In the end he had left because he knew she hated him, that she feared him. And that he deserved it and had no right to be in her presence. He was not the man he was supposed to be for her. He had turned into a monster, not the loving husband he should have been. He had taken her presence at his side for granted. He expected her to be there always because that was what was expected of her, but that had never been her choice. All of her choices had been decided by him.

She had never had the freedom to bloom, to become her own person, because he had taken that from her. She had been innocent and naïve once, but now he had taken that from her and he didn't know how to repair the damage he had done.

Kana continued to clutch onto Kaname, her tears continued to leak from her tightly closed eyes and all the while his arms stayed wrapped around her. Time continued to flow with every drop of blood that touched her tongue and she watched it all with a steadily heavier heart.

He hadn't lied. She saw him attempt to end the war that he had allowed and supported for so long. Watched him as he slowly succeeded only to constantly have to fight against vampire and human alike to try and create the peace she had believed was possible. He supported the creation of the Hunter's Association he had once so strongly opposed. He began to confer more and more with those of the vampire race who wanted nothing to do with peace and she saw him begin to gain ground.

He was never able to create a completely peaceful world, but he had managed to end the war that had raged for so long. He had tried to search her out then, tried to find her so that she could see what he had tried to do and ask for her help in making her dreams come to fruition. He had never found. She had woken from her near death and disappeared, hiding all traces of her existence from the world as best she could.

For years he had looked for her, hoping that he could find her to ask for forgiveness he didn't expect to be granted to him. Over time living without her by his side and his soul heavy with guilt he decided there was little point in living through the centuries with no one there with him. He appointed a council of respected elder vampires in the place of single leader to rule and watch over their race and succumbed to a long sleep that wouldn't be broken for several thousand years.

His awakening had been rather unpleasant and she gasped in surprise, her eyes flying open when the overwhelming blood lust he had felt hit her like a bullet to the chest. She leaned away from his neck, her chest heaving as she breathed roughly while trying to calm her rattled nerves and remind them that what she had felt had not been real. At least not for her. She was in no danger of losing her mind and she was not thirsty, she had no reason to be after having drunk from Sora and Kaname all in the same day.

Removing herself from Kaname's arms that easily fell away, Kana took a wavering step back from the bed and fell into the chair. Her tears were still absently flowing from her eyes, but their frequency was slowing. The salty trails began to dry on her flushed cheeks as she stared towards the corner, refusing to look at Kaname as he studied her with an expression that was hard for even her to read despite how well she knew him and how much of his life she had just witnessed.

"Get out." Her voice was a quiet, trembling whisper, but it carried to Kaname's sharp ears nonetheless.

Several seconds past and Kaname simply continued to study her before deciding that it would be best do as Kana requested. He stood from the bed and quietly let himself out of the room.

* * *

~A/N~

Well, hopefully this chapter was enjoyable. It was kind of a pain to write. There was so much I wanted to do that it would have been the never-ending chapter, but that seemed daunting so I decided this was the best way to go.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! I know I don't get back to most of you and I apologize, but I've been a little overwhelmed lately. Too much going on all at once.

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11 Beneath the Surface

Disclaimer- I don't own VK

**Chapter 11**

**Beneath the Surface**

"_Leave me be, I don't want to argue, I'd just get confused and I'd come all undone"_

The late afternoon sun was blocked out by the heavy curtains and the room was plunged into a thick darkness that was hardly natural. The air itself seemed to be alive, moving and breathing as if it had a mind of its own. Shadows were dancing on the walls despite there being no light in the room to give them life. It was silent in the room, a thoughtful silence that wasn't heavy or oppressive, but light so the mind had room to dream and contemplate, to wander.

Kana sat in the single chair the room offered, legs hanging over one of the arms while she leaned in to the other. The hand that wasn't supporting her cheek was resting just over the edge of the arm she leaned against. Her palm was up, facing the ceiling, while her thin, delicate fingers slowly moved as if there were invisible strings attached to them that would control the shadows she was so absently staring at. There were no invisible strings, however, only a dark fluid that floated above her hand. It shifted and glided over her palm, between and around her fingers, responding to the unconscious movements that her fingers made in the dark.

The shadows seemed to morph as her fingers moved and scene after scene came to life in the shadows. To her they were more than shadows, they were memories and visions. They had color, substance, meaning and they held the key to so much more than that because they were not her memories. They were Kaname's, the memories she had seen while drinking his blood hours before. She was sifting through them while they were still fresh and his blood was still strongly flowing through her.

There was something in them, something she was missing. She just had no idea what.

She hadn't realized it at first, but there had been another vague feeling beneath the memories she had seen. A feeling she couldn't pinpoint or define. A feeling she wanted to understand. There was something in those sensations and memories that was important, that could help her to understand just what it was that Kaname was up to, because he was certainly up to something. He always was. Even if he wanted her to believe he had changed, that he had tried to create the world she had wanted because of his guilt, she didn't believe it. Not fully at least, even if the memories and feelings she had found in his blood had been real, there was something hidden beneath their surface. It was what was hidden that she wanted to find.

The sound of the door opening quietly was amplified in the silence of the room, it echoed off the walls and seemed to vibrate through the air, but Kana didn't notice. She was too focused on the shadows and their stories to care about much else. It wasn't until a voice broke through the silence, shattering it like a thin pane of glass, that she started. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath that seemed to pull all of the heaviness from the darkness that had fallen over the room like a shroud. The fluid substance that had been gliding around her hand and fingers disappeared as her fingers closed around it, as if capturing a small feather that disintegrated as soon as her fingers touched it. Light began to filter in through the cracks in the curtains, soft and pale, while bright light from the hall seeped through the crack beneath the door.

There were real shadows, reflections of the objects in the room now.

"Lady Kana?"

She started again, she was still mostly lost in a world of memories and sensations. The room was suddenly much brighter than it had been moments before and she blinked a few times to allow her eyes to readjust. Turning her head, she saw Sora standing a few feet away, studying her worriedly.

"I'm alright, Sora," she assured him with a soft smile. "I'm just thinking. So much has changed since I fell asleep that I'm a little lost. There's a lot I don't know, that I don't understand, and some I don't quite remember well. I'm just looking for answers."

"..And when you have them?" He inquired quietly.

She chuckled lightly, a half smile on her lips. "I suppose that depends entirely on what the answers are."

The dark haired man frowned, concern furrowing his brow. "What if you don't like the answers you find, my lady? This world isn't the same one you left when you went to sleep. There's a lot that's changed, that's-"

"You fret too much, Sora," she cut in, rising from the chair to step toward him and put a gentle, reassuring hand on his cheek. "I know that a lot has changed, I know that it's dangerous to openly oppose Kaname, or even the Council. If I want answers I have to play their game and behave how they want me to. To a degree anyways. I don't plan on causing trouble here, the goal of this Academy is a good one, and I don't want to ruin what's been built here. I just want the truth. There's so much that doesn't make sense, that doesn't add up. I want to know why."

Sora sighed resignedly, but nodded. "I almost wish you had stayed asleep," he murmured. "It would be so much easier to protect you, to hide you."

She smiled, almost sadly. "You have protected me for a very long time, Sora, but it's time that I stopped hiding. I've been absent from the world for so long that it's time I took part in it again. I will protect those who can't protect themselves, I have a feeling many of them will need it before long."

Sora bowed his head, placing his right arm across his chest in a show of respect and loyalty. "Then I will help you in protecting them."

"Thank you, Sora," she replied, taking his head in her hands before he could straighten and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "That means a lot to me." She released him and smiled, looking around him towards the door. "Do you plan on continuing to spy, Riku, or would you like a kiss too?"

The door opened and a grinning Riku flounced in, giddily offering up his cheek for Kana to kiss.

Sora sighed and shook his head at his brother's antics while Kana laughed, her eyes twinkling happily as she placed a kiss on Riku's cheek.

"Will you both stay with me for just a little longer?" Kana asked, each of her hands grasping one of theirs.

"Of course," they replied in sync.

Kana smiled at them, but it was lonely, distant. "Because you want to or because you feel you're supposed to?"

The twins looked offended as they exchanged a brief glance before lowering themselves to one knee while still holding the hand that Kana had grasped theirs with.

"You have always made it clear that our choices were our own, my lady," Sora said.

"We've always known that you wanted us to be free to do what we wanted to," Riku continued.

"We want to be by your side, my lady."

"If you'll have us," Riku added, grinning like an innocent child.

She wasn't sure when the tears had started to fall from her eyes, she just knew that Sora and Riku both brushed a tear away from her cheeks before she embraced them both. "Who could say no to the two of you?" She joked lightly.

"No one," Riku replied. "Which is why you're never going to get rid of us no matter how hard you try."

She chuckled. "And if I don't try?"

"Then you're stuck with us for eternity," Sora answered, leaning away from her and brushing another tear from her cheek. "Eternity is a long time, my lady, especially when Riku is involved."

"I suppose," she agreed, smiling and laughing genuinely when Riku looked utterly offended. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

–

Opening her eyes, Kana turned her head towards the door before slowly sitting up. Her crimson eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at the door for a moment until she slid gracefully off the bed. Her bare feet made hardly a sound as she neared the door, pausing when Riku called to her.

"Kana?" Riku questioned, setting the book he had been reading on the bedside table and making to rise from the bed the two had been lying together in a moment before.

"It's alright, Riku, Sora," she said, noticing that Sora too was rising from the chair he had been dozing in. She gestured for them both to relax and stay where they were. "I'll be back in just a moment." With a soft smile, she noiselessly opened the door and slipped into the hallway.

She stood a few feet from her door, closing her eyes and focusing on the sounds around her. The house was mostly quiet, but there was a soft buzzing inside the walls from the electricity and a quiet bubbling of water through pipes. Extending her senses outwards through the house, she heard the slow, steady breathing of someone sleeping as their heart beat thumped softly. There was another person, this one more quiet and hard to detect, but his heart beat and annoyed aura gave him way.

"Hey, wake up," Zero sighed.

The voice was distant, a few walls separated her from the one speaking after all, but she could still hear it quite clearly.

"You're going to catch a cold."

Kana knew Zero was attempting to wake up a sleeping Yuuki who had fallen asleep on the Headmaster's couch while waiting to use the shower Zero had previously occupied. She heard Zero sigh again before his breathing changed and his heart beat quickened. He had finally noticed that he was being watched. Kaname had entered the Headmaster's residence several moments before and had quietly been watching over Yuuki when Zero had stepped out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing here?" Zero growled hotly.

"I have some things to discuss with the Headmaster," was the cool, easy reply from the pureblood. "You don't need to look so surprised, I used to come by all the time, remember?"

Zero snorted, before grumbling, "Yeah, uninvited."

After a moment of silence Kaname spoke up again, his voice quiet though it didn't stop her from hearing what he said. "I haven't told you yet, have I? The reason I'm letting you live despite what you are and your attack on Yuuki. You will be her shield... Or will you betray her after what she's given to you?"

"And what about Kana?" Zero retorted bitterly. "Should I protect her too? She seems to need it more than Yuuki does, because you've protected Yuuki, but not Kana. So should I protect her too? Or just Yuuki?"

The silence that lingered after Zero's question grew tense with each second that passed before Kana slipped away from her spot near the door.

"It's quite a good question, isn't it?" She asked, walking into the room where Kaname and Zero stood facing each other stiffly. Making her way to Zero's side, she too turned to face the beautiful brown haired pureblood. "Perhaps, Zero should know the truth about just what this little girl is to you, hm?" She hummed curiously as she began to circle the couch that Yuuki was still sleeping peacefully on, her delicate fingers lightly brushing over the fabric.

Kaname was by her side in an instant when she leaned down as if to caress Yuuki's cheek, his hand gripping onto her wrist and pulling it away from the innocently sleeping girl. Kana's lips twitched into a partial smirk when Kaname's dark eyes slid over to the silver gun that was a hair's breadth away from his temple.

"Looks like we're at a bit of a stalemate," Kana observed, her eyes sparkling mischievously as Kaname stared at her.

When Kaname released her, he turned and strode from the room, but Zero followed, angry and frustrated with being ignored.

"What truth?" Zero asked tightly, catching up to Kaname down the hall. "What do you have planned for Yuuki?" His eyes narrowed at Kaname, but Kaname was focused Kana, who was a few steps behind Zero, and nothing else. Zero glanced at Kana, her face was blank, but she was watching Kaname closely, almost as if she were waiting for him to attack. His fingers flexed around the cool metal of his gun, but he kept it lowered at his side.

"That's none of your concern," Kaname replied after a moment, finally deigning to look at Zero with unhidden contempt. He ignored Zero's frustrated glare and turned his back on him again, stopping near the door to the Headmaster's home office and looking over his shoulder at Kana. "So is this the side you're choosing, Kana? The side of a vampire hunter turned vampire? You already know you can't save him-"

"I'm not choosing sides, Kaname," Kana cut in acerbically, walking forward so that she was between he and Zero. "I'm looking for the truth, all of it. As for saving him, I _can_ save him. From you. You corrupt or destroy everything you touch, even you can't deny that. You want him to protect Yuuki? You think it will actually keep her safe? You think it'll keep me from-"

Kana didn't even flinch as she was pressed into the wall, Kaname's hands holding her arms roughly down at her sides. She met his eyes unwaveringly despite the clear glint of anger glowing in his crimson eyes.

"I've already warned you what would happen if you harmed anything precious to me," Kaname reminded, his voice quiet but threatening as the temperature in the hall dropped so drastically that the three of them were suddenly exhaling small clouds of mist.

"You won't be able to forgive me, right?" Kana answered, laughing bitterly as she folded her arms over her chest. "Maybe, you'll even kill me, your own sister. Your own beloved wife you still claim to love. Maybe you understand a little now? How I felt thousands of years ago when you took Tristan's life. At least you still have Yuuki, Kaname. I have nothing because you took it all away."

"And what did you leave me with?" Kaname inquired softly.

Kana blinked uncomprehendingly. "What?" She asked, suddenly uncertain and shaken.

"I loved you, in my own way, I loved you and would have done anything for you. You know that-"

"But you didn't," Kana cut in sharply, blinking the tears out of her eyes. "I asked one thing of you, Kaname, I asked for the war to stop-"

"It wasn't that simple," Kaname interrupted. "You already know that. There-"

"It was that simple," she snapped. "All you had to do was agree to a truce, to a peace treaty that the humans would have been willing to work out with you. You never cared about ending the war, you liked it. The violence, the blood, the mayhem. You liked it all and until you lost me it was the most important thing to you. That war took everything away from me, Kaname. Even before Tristan came along that war had already taken so much from me, but that never mattered. I never mattered.. not until I was gone."

"And will you take everything away from me now?" Kaname questioned softly.

She snorted, sad and bitter, while she shook her head. "Let go of me, Kaname," she told him tiredly.

"Will you?" Kaname pressed. "You did say-"

"I know what I said!" Kana shouted, fingers curling at her sides. She closed her eyes, her jaw clenching painfully. Kaname was speaking about her threats to him to take away everything he cared about, to do to him what he had done to her. "You don't understand anything, Kaname. Especially me, you never have and you never will... Let me go."

After several seconds, Kaname finally released Kana, stepping back and returning to the Headmaster's door before he turned around again. "You will protect Yuuki," Kaname said, his eyes on Zero.

The silvery haired prefect scowled angrily, his fingers tensing around his gun again.

"That is his choice to make, not yours," Kana spoke up, stepping between the two men again and resting a calming hand on Zero's arm. "You've always liked to manipulate people to get them to do as you wanted them to, but not this time, Kaname. It's not Zero's responsibility to look after that child, it's yours and the Headmaster's. If the two of you can't handle the task, don't drag Zero into it by manipulating his guilt. Come with me," Kana said to Zero, her hand lightly taking a hold of his as she began to lead him from the room.

"Kana," Kaname called, causing the dark haired woman to pause, but not look back at him. "You were wrong." When Kana turned to look at him, confused by what he meant, he continued. "You said you have nothing left, but that's not exactly true, is it? I haven't taken everything from you-"

Her hand tightened its grip on Zero's as her heart sped up in her chest and her stomach dropped. "Touch a hair on their heads and I swear I will not only take what you have left, I-"

"It wasn't a threat, it was just a reminder," Kaname cut in evenly, turning his back to her to make his way to the Headmaster's office.

Her eyelids fluttered, but she attempted to remain calm. She had put Sora and Riku in danger by confronting Kaname, and he was right, he hadn't taken everything from her as she had said. And there was no way that she would ever let him take anything else from her, not without putting up one hell of a fight.

"Come on," she said to Zero, once again leading him down the hall, the hands clasped between them.

When they reached her door, Kana let them both inside, still holding onto his hand. She released him once the door was shut securely behind them. Sighing, she left Zero to stand stiffly a few feet from the door as she made her way to the window.

"So," Kana exhaled softly, turning to Zero to see she had surprised him, though the look was gone quickly and replaced with a haughty stare. "It's you. You're what doesn't make sense. What doesn't fit."

Zero scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you don't," she replied absently.

"What did you mean?" Zero snapped at Kana.

Meeting his eyes, she smirked innocently. "Hm, I wonder?" she answered.

Sora and Riku exchanged glances, but remained quietly standing by the bedside.

Frustrated, his hands shaking at his sides, Zero glared at Kana and the small smirk that was dancing on her lips. "This has to do with Kaname, doesn't it? With what he said about letting me live?"

She offered a nod. "It does."

"He said he's letting me live to protect Yuuki."

"Yuuki doesn't need your protection," Kana replied blandly, giving an almost dismissive wave of her hand. "Well, not really anyways."

"What do you mean?" Zero growled, annoyed with the lack of any explanation from the distant, distracted pureblood. He wanted to know what she meant about Yuuki, about why he made no sense, and what it all had to do with Kaname, the man he was growing to hate more each passing day.

Turning away from the window to lean into the wall, Kana fixed Zero with an inquisitive stare, going so far as to tilt her head as she scrutinized him, her thoughts churning like a storm through her mind. "You really have no idea, do you?" She finally inquired, curious.

Zero's cheek twitched and his fingers flexed at his side. "I wouldn't be asking if I did," he hissed. "You said protecting her was Kaname's and the Headmaster's duty, what did you mean?"

Kana fixed Zero with an inquisitive stare, going so far as to tilt her head as she scrutinized him thoughtfully. "If I promise to tell you a secret, will you help me with something?"

His pale cheek twitched and his lilac eyes narrowed briefly. "I want to know what you meant," he pressed.

"And I'll tell you," Kana said coolly, stepping up to him so she was only a few inches from him. Raising herself up on her toes, she leaned forward so that her lips were only a few centimeters from Zero's ear. "If you take me to the Hunters Association."

Zero pulled away and narrowed his eyes at her again. "Why do you want to get into the Association?"

"The library. There are a few things that don't add up and I want to know why. It shouldn't be that hard to pull off, me being, well, me. I did create the Association after all."

"You're not going to tell me what you mean about me not making sense? Or about Yuuki?"

She released a slow rush of air before turning away and making her way to the window. Leaning into the wall, she stared searchingly into the dark. "It's all too much of a coincidence. Knowing Kaname the way I do, I've learned that there are rarely such things as coincidences when he's involved."

"That-"

"Doesn't answer anything," Kana cut in, turning around to face him again. "Yes, I know. I'm not sure about much right now myself, but I find it hard to believe that you, a Kiryu, the_ last_ Kiryu, turned up at this school with Yuuki and Kaname by mere chance."

Zero frowned, Kana looked tired now as she leaned back into the wall with a sigh and closed her eyes. "You don't think it was an accident that my family was attacked, do you?" He asked, trying to remain neutral and detached.

Taking in a breath, Kana released it in a long exhale and shook her head before opening her eyes to look at him again. "I don't know, Zero. I know that the pureblood that attacked your family had been given information she never should have had and I'd like to find out why. Will you help me?"

–

"Do you think you'll actually find what you're looking for at the Association's library?" Sora asked Kana, he was sitting in the chair while Kana leaned into the wall to stare out into the moonlit world and its soft shadows.

Kana shook her head and sighed. "I doubt it, but there still might be useful information. I've been out of touch with the Association for centuries, it's about time I've checked in on them. I'd like to see for myself just what the hunters I created have become."

"Won't Zero be disappointed?" Sora inquired.

Kana shrugged a shoulder. "Most likely, but just because I don't anticipate finding anything there about what really happened to his family doesn't mean I don't have other places to look. Or other information to gather. The more I think about it the less likely it is that what happened to the Kiryu family was on accident."

"But do you really think Kaname would have gone to such lengths?" Sora asked.

She frowned for a moment, biting at her lip before closing her eyes and sighing. "I honestly don't know. The Kaname I knew wouldn't have gone about things this way, it's not direct enough for him."

"It's possible he had nothing to do with it," Riku spoke up, smiling nervously when his brother and Kana glanced at him. "The woman that attacked the Kiryu family had her lover murdered by them, she would have wanted revenge. She may have acted alone."

"It's possible, except for one thing," Kana replied.

"And what's that?" Riku asked.

"The name of the woman's lover shouldn't have been on the hunters' list. Not yet."

"Did Kaname-"

Kana shook her head before Sora could finish his question. "No. I've heard enough of the story from you two and Kaname. None of the stories ever mention that the man was insane, that he had killed anyone. He was still following Shizuka, he was still receiving her blood."

"If that were true, then his name wouldn't have been on the list of those to be hunted," Sora pointed out.

"That's right. Which means that someone is manipulating the rules and laws that I wrote and Tristan established and enforced before his death. I know his brother and the Kiryu line continued those established policies for several centuries, so there is no reason for that to have changed. Not unless.." Kana sighed, trailing off and rubbing at her temples, her head was aching with all of the uncertainties she was contemplating. She had been apart from the rest of the world for so long that she didn't know what things connected, what things didn't, and what any of it meant. She had to find out on her own and with the help of the twins that had followed her for so long, faithfully and unwaveringly.

"Unless the Association is corrupt," Sora finished for her, quietly.

She gave a nod, releasing a tired exhale as she turned to sit on the bed and lean into the pillows. "Exactly. If the Association I created with Tristan's help is being corrupted from its original purpose I want to know why, and how." She gave a frustrated groan while covering her eyes with her hand. "There's too much that doesn't make sense to me. I slept far too long this time, I'm at a serious disadvantage. I need to make friends, lots of them, and powerful ones at that."

"There's one way to do that, and quite quickly," Sora offered, but he knew the thought was crossing Kana's mind too for she released a soft sigh while her lips pulled into a frown.

"Kaname," she said resignedly. "Befriend him and the others will follow without a second thought." She covered her eyes with arm. "I'm tired, I'm going to get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow will be quite the long day."

"Do you really think the Headmaster will agree to let you and Zero leave the Academy grounds?" Sora asked.

"He doesn't have a choice," Kana replied. "I created the Association, and as a former hunter himself, he has no right to deny me the chance to see it for myself after all these years. Besides, I'll be with Zero, there's no reason to say no."

–

Kana raised an eyebrow as she skeptically stared at the yellow vehicle before she and Zero. She knew the vehicle was a car, but it looked nothing like the one she had been in when she had come to the Academy. "You want me to get in that?"

Zero sighed, resisting an urge to roll his eyes as he opened the door for Kana and gestured for her to get into the taxi. "After you."

Her eyebrow stayed raised as she studied Zero.

After several seconds of staring at each other, Zero sighed again. "It's a taxi. It'll be quicker than walking."

"But it's dirty," she pointed out. "And it smells... bad," she said, her nose crinkling in distaste. "What happened to the nicer, shinier, not so smelly one that brought me here?"

"How would I know? It was probably hired, just like this one is," Zero replied before gesturing her into the car again. "Now get in." When Kana gave him an arrogant huff and turned away like a spoiled child, he rolled his eyes, but kept himself from snapping at her like he really wanted to do. "Please get in," he said, trying not to let his annoyance show.

A half frown on her lips, Kana looked over at him and then to the car and the bored driver that was tapping anxiously on the steering wheel. "Fine," she huffed, stepping around Zero and lowering herself into the car.

Kana let Zero tell the driver where to go, she sat quietly in her seat, listening to the grinding of gears and crunching of gravel as the taxi pulled out of the school's driveway. Once they were on the road, both of them remained silent. Neither had much to say to one another, at least nothing that could be said in front of a stranger.

When the vehicle pulled to a stop only twenty minutes later, Kana gladly exited the cramped, dingy car and dusted herself off on the sidewalk while Zero paid for their trip.

"Come on," Zero said, grabbing her by her elbow since she was ignoring him while over-dramatically dusting off her long sleeves, and pulling her towards a nearby building that was made out of stone.

Letting herself be tugged along beside Zero, Kana looked around the street they were on. There were people walking along the sidewalks on either side of the street, cars speeding down the street, and buildings everywhere. Most of them modern, and, in her opinion, ugly. She was used to simpler things, things made out of easily available supplies. Wood, stone, earth. These were metal, glass, and who knew what else.

The only exception was the Hunter's Association building. It was made from cut stone blocks, it looked old, especially when compared to the surrounding buildings. Ivy climbed up some of the walls and the stone walkway was worn beneath their feet as they closed a wrought iron gate behind themselves. She could feel the magic of the place before they had even exited the taxi cab. There were spells in place to keep regular people out, to make the building blend in and seem like just another building.

The two walked up the cracking steps to the entry, but just before they were to cross the threshold into the building Kana stopped abruptly. Turning to Zero, she raised an eyebrow and stuck out her hand for him to take hold of. "Funny," she said blandly. "Mind helping me enter without getting a nasty shock?"

"Most vampires wouldn't have sensed the magic," Zero pointed out, taking her by the elbow again.

"Well, I am the vampire that gave them their magic," she reminded. "If it weren't for me, Hunters would never have existed in the first place."

"You can stop glaring at me," Zero grumbled. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

"But you hate my kind," she pointed out.

"And most of you deserve it," he shot back.

"Can we just go inside?" Kana asked, waving a hand at the walkway leading to the interior of the Association building. "I'd like to see what the Association has become in the last few thousand years."

Zero led her into the building, tugging her along by her elbow beside him, but once they were passed the magic designed to keep vampires who weren't invited out he let go of her elbow and simply walked beside her. His eyes kept shifting across the halls and through the rooms they passed, it hadn't gone unnoticed that he had just brought a pureblood vampire into the building. Not that he had expected it to, but he wasn't sure what to expect. The president was already expecting them, and it seemed others had as well because the usually empty halls were milling with people that were talking in hushed whispers as they passed. He wasn't sure who it was they found more interesting. Him, the vampire hunter turned vampire that would eventually lose his sanity. Or Kana, the pureblood that was the legend behind their strength.

Kana seemed oblivious to the attention. She was studying the building, a slight frown on her face as she took in her surroundings, when she finally glanced at someone it was the Hunter's Association president. Her dark crimson eyes narrowed while she stepped up to the gaudily dressed woman, but she kept her posture relaxed so as not to appear threatening in any way.

"So you're Kana Kuran, are you?" The woman asked, looking Kana over with a hungry, almost jealous, gaze. "Not really what I expected. You don't strike me as very powerful."

"Looks can be deceiving," she replied, her voice a bland monotone as she steadily met the woman's eyes.

"They can indeed," the woman replied thoughtfully, her eyes sweeping over Kana again, reevaluating how much of a threat she was. The woman than switched her attention to Zero. "And Zero, it's so nice to see you again. How have you been?" The question wasn't as simple as it seemed, the glint in the woman's eyes and the smirk on her face was enough to tell anyone that.

Zero tensed beside Kana, but remained calm. The Hunter's Association was aware of his situation of course, and while he hadn't given them a reason to doubt his loyalty or control over himself it was in their nature to not trust someone who had been bitten by a pureblood. "Fine, thanks."

"It wasn't my intention to cause a stir," Kana said, changing the topic while her eyes glanced over the gathered crowd of trained hunters. "I was just hoping to be able to take a look around and see the library, I've been out of touch with the world for awhile and was hoping to get my bearings. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, of course."

The pale woman offered a hint of a smile. "No trouble at all. Anything in particular you're interested in?"

"Yes," Kana said, beginning to walk away only to turn back and offer a cold, blank smile. "The truth." Her cold smile turned into a brief smirk when she saw the flash of bitter anger in the hunter president.

"What was that about?" Zero questioned, glancing over his shoulder as they made their way down a flight steps, Kana staring thoughtfully ahead of herself.

"Hm?" She hummed, blinking over at the lilac eyed Kiryu. "Oh, your president isn't what she seems. The magic here is distorting my senses a bit, but there's something about that woman that is wrong. There's something about this entire place that's wrong."

"What?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she answered honestly, her voice betraying how unsettled she was as she distractedly walked along beside him.

"Where are you going?" Zero finally asked after several minutes of aimlessly walking beside Kana.

The pureblood woman stopped abruptly, blinking at Zero as he stopped a step ahead of her and looked over his shoulder at her curiously. "I.." she trailed off as she glanced around herself, the thoughtful look that had clouded her eyes clearing as she regained her senses.

Zero sighed, rolling his eyes as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Of course I know where I'm going," she replied, matter-of-factly. "I'm going to the library." A small, playful grin appeared on her face when Zero sighed again and shook his head at her, clearly wondering what had possessed him to willingly decide to spend any of his time with such a troublesome person.

"Do you even know where it is?" He asked.

"I've never been here before, how would I know where the library is?"

"If you don't know where you're going, don't act like you know where you're going," Zero grumbled, running a hand through his hair. He didn't wait for her to reply, he turned his back on her and started walking in the direction they had come from. "The library is this way."

Following after Zero, Kana's eyes took in the décor, the layout, the names that were on some of the doors, and her senses were feeling out all of the magic she could feel throughout the building. There was more than she would have thought, so much so that it made her feel as if there was something being hidden. Something more than just the Association and its secrets. To her it was like placing a bunch of fragrant flowers in a room that stunk of rotten eggs, you hoped the flowers would mask the smell, but it only made it more obvious.

When Zero pushed open a heavy wooden door, the scent of musty leather, polished wood, and old paper drifted out to her. The room that housed the Hunter Association's library was gigantic, every wall was full of books, scrolls or random bits of paper. There were several old wooden tables that had an array of tools to use so as not to damage any of the books, but Kana ignored them as she stepped into the room and glanced back at Zero, her demeanor suddenly serious as she looked passed him and into the hall. The library itself was currently empty, but there were Hunters following them to make sure they didn't do anything they shouldn't. It was unlikely they would confront them or show themselves unless necessary though.

"Shut the door," she instructed, turning back to the room that was nearly overflowing with history and lifting her left hand to her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Zero inquired suspiciously as she punctured the tip of a finger with a dagger like fang.

She glanced over her shoulder him as she lifted her left hand out in front of her, the blood that was beginning to slide down her finger suddenly lifting into the air. The deep red ribbon of blood twisted and curled in the air above her palm, some slipping between her fingers and some gliding around her wrist. "I said it before, didn't I? I came here to find the truth, and I will find it."

Zero watched uncomfortably as the crimson ribbon, that had now detached itself from Kana's finger, writhed and swirled around her upturned palm. She had turned away from him, but he stepped closer to her to see that her eyes were closed. A slight twitch of her elegant fingers caused the ribbon to split apart, each piece rising into the air as its shape constantly swam and changed. He watched each piece begin to float about the room. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that Kana was using her blood to get a quicker look at the books and documents that were housed in the libraries. For several moments, they were both quiet as Kana stood with her eyes closed while her blood shifted through the room, scanning bookshelves and stacks of scrolls. When she reopened her eyes, there was a definite frown on her face as a single fluid globe of her blood returned to her and disappeared into the palm that she closed around it.

Ignoring Zero, she began to collect several books from the shelves. As she did the blood that had been sent around the room would float back into her palm and disappear. Setting the books she collected onto a table, she glanced at the last shifting orb that was hovering near a locked case with glass windows. Deciding that the last orb could wait, she began to flip through the books she had taken from their places.

Zero's curiosity eventually got the better of him and he sat opposite her, idly glancing over the books she had collected. None of them seemed unique or special to him. There were several books on the genealogies of Hunter families, those were what she seemed most interested in at first, but then her attention shifted to books that concerned the creation of the vampire Council of Ancients. It was the final book that she skimmed through that he noticed the way her eyebrows had pulled together while her lips began to pull down. When she flipped the book closed, she looked up, passed him and at the glass case where the last orb of blood patiently floated in the air, marking one last book of interest to her.

"The case is locked, you have to get permission from the president," Zero told her as she stood up and stepped up to the last of the shifting orbs of her blood and studied the book that it was marking for her.

The book was one of several that was locked in the glass case because it was considered more valuable and important than the rest. She stared at the book for a moment before raising her right hand and tapping the lock with her index finger. There was a metallic grinding noise before the door popped open.

"Did you just-"

"Break into this case?" Kana finished. "Yes, I did." She knew she had set off a few magical alarms, but she didn't care, she tilted the book off of the shelf and opened it. She flipped through its pages quickly, her eyes absorbing each page. "Well," she murmured aloud, her voice taking on a hint of dark curiosity. "Isn't that interesting."

"What-"

She tossed the book to Zero, who caught it easily before shooting her a glare. She ignored his glare, nodding at the book in his hands. "Do you know what that is?" She asked.

The tone of her voice made his glare turn to a scowl as he glanced over the book and opened it. "It's the book you wrote about the founding of the Hunter's Association. The one you gave to Tristan. Every Hunter knows that, and has to read a copy of it. So what?"

"That isn't the book I gave to Tristan," she told him, causing him to glance up at her with the serious tone of her voice. "And it's not a copy either," she said before Zero could offer up the suggestion. "That book is a complete fake." She stepped up to the silver haired hunter and carefully took the book from his grasp so that she could return it to its place, locking the doors she had forced open just moments before. "We should go," she said as she turned back around, heading for the door.

Zero stared after her for a moment, but pushed himself to his feet and followed after her only to come to an abrupt halt just outside of the door. Kana was standing a few feet away, her back to him while half a dozen hunters blocked her path, each with their weapons pointed at her head or heart.

"Is there a problem?" She inquired coolly, placing her hands behind her back in a gesture that might have appeared coy to those in front of her, but was meant to give her a means of protection. She had just pierced the skin on one of her fingers when Zero stepped up beside her. She glanced over at him as his hand closed over both of hers to keep her from doing anything rash.

"What's going on?" Zero asked, knowing that he was more likely to get an answer than Kana was, despite who she was to the Association. The others didn't know her, they had no reason to trust her.

"One of the alarms in the library went off," one of the men answered, he was young, only a few years older than Zero and had obviously not shaved in several days. "We came down to check it out."

"Everything is fine," Zero replied casually, shrugging his shoulder. "Take a look for yourself."

The young man's brown eyes narrowed, but he nodded his shaggy head of brown hair and stepped cautiously around Zero and Kana, his eyes not leaving Kana until he reached the door and took a look inside. A frown found its way to the man's face.

"Everything looks fine," the young man said, suspiciously staring at Kana. "The alarm wouldn't have gone off for no reason though."

Zero tensed next to Kana, who was still calm and relaxed, which only made him more tense. The brown haired man stepped up to Kana, whose eyes were following his movements, he still hadn't fully lowered the pistol in his hands.

"You do know who I am, right?" Kana questioned simply. "Or has the Association_ I_ created really forgotten what I did for it and what they owe me?"

Her fingers twitched in Zero's grasp, the lilac eyed hunter squeezed her hands harder, but it was too late. A look of shock crossed the brown haired man's face and he dropped his pistol, letting it clatter to the ground before he fell to his knees beside it.

The other hunters let out angered hisses or cries, their grips on their weapons tightening.

"Diluted or not," Kana said, her voice as smooth and sharp as the coldest winter breeze. "My blood still flows through your veins and you owe me your loyalty. If not for me this world would be a very different place and humans would be little more than cattle."

Several of the hunters watching had had enough, an arrow, a dagger, and three bullets zoomed at her. She didn't move, only cast a glance towards the oncoming projectiles. The arrow and the dagger fell uselessly to the ground and a moment later, three bullets did the same.

"Stop," Zero demanded, roughly tugging on her wrists.

Glancing over at him, she sighed, but he felt a minute twitch of her fingers and the atmosphere lost the density it had been gaining. The air was breathable again, the young man on the floor looked dazed, but completely fine otherwise.

"We're going," Zero growled, tightly grabbing onto her elbow and pulling her with him down the hall.

"Let them go," the brown haired man shouted breathlessly, causing the other hunters to voice protests. "She didn't hurt me, she.. She just wanted to prove who she was. She's really the Kana Kuran that created the Association, she's right to be upset that we pointed our weapons at her. We'd be nothing without her help."

Kana glanced over her shoulder before Zero tugged her up the stairs and offered a quick, encouraging smile to the brown haired man. "I'm sorry if I hurt you," she murmured, her smiling growing when the man's eyes widened. He had heard her despite the distance and the ache in his head was suddenly gone, he also felt completely perfect, healthy, alive. "I hope you accept my apology."

It wasn't until Zero had rather roughly pulled Kana outside and a few blocks from the Association that he let her go. They were in an alley between two buildings that smelled like a mix of rotten apples and alcohol. When he released her, he had pushed her towards one of the walls, what he wasn't expecting was for her to hit it with a grimace and lean into it for support. It was then that he noticed how pale she had become, how she was breathing quicker than usual. It was also when he noticed the sudden smell of blood, her blood, it was so strong that it was nearly overwhelming. He was confused about why he hadn't noticed it before when she lifted a hand to her left shoulder and it came away slick with blood.

Noticing the look on Zero's face, she chuckled wanly. "Purebloods have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. I kept the wound from bleeding for as long as I could, but considering it was an anti-vampire weapon that I was shot with that trick only works for so long."

"But you stopped-"

"I only stopped what was fired from the hunters in front of us," Kana cut in. "Someone else fired a shot from behind us, and not just at me. I was only able to stop what was aimed at you and move enough that the bullet aimed at me didn't pierce my heart." Kana watched Zero as the words she said sunk in. Someone in the Hunter's Association had just attempted to kill them, both of them, and they had almost succeeded.

Zero's teeth clenched together. Things weren't making sense. Kana had been unsettled by something when they had met the Association president, and she had felt something was off with not only the gaudy woman, but the Association itself. Then Kana discovered that the most important book in the history of the Association was a fraud. It wasn't the book she had written for Tristan, it was a fake. Then someone from the Association tried to kill the pureblood who was responsible for the success of the Association, and him, he was no one. He was just a hunter that had been bitten by a pureblood, an abomination, but not one they should have been trying to kill. Not yet at least.

With a grunt of frustration, he tugged off his light brown coat and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his white shirt before tugging it out of the way and stepping up to Kana. "You need blood."

"I'll be fine until we reach the school."

He pushed her back into the wall when she tried to step away, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and hiss in pain. "Shut up and drink."

"No," she insisted stubbornly, scowling at Zero.

"I'm offering-"

"And I'm saying no," she snapped haughtily, grimacing when pain flared in her shoulder and up into her head. The weapons of the hunters had gotten stronger than she remembered. Another thing that didn't make sense. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not going to take blood from someone that doesn't actually want to give it. You hate me and my kind enough, there's no need for me to make you hate me any more than you already do."

"I don't hate you," he growled, forcefully and angrily. "I.. can't hate you." Kana opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. "Just drink. If I didn't want to give you my blood, I wouldn't."

For several seconds, Kana simply stared up at Zero as he averted his eyes from hers. He was right, though, she needed blood. The wound to her shoulder was already healing, but she had lost a lot of blood and needed to replenish at least some of it so she wouldn't lose control of herself while they were still in the city.

Pulling Zero's collar out of the way, she leaned forward, her fangs extending as her throat grew dry in anticipation of the warmth that was about to pour into it. "I'm sorry," she murmured before her fangs plunged through the soft skin of his neck and his blood began to fill her mouth.

Hands clutching tightly to Zero, who had her pressed against the wall, Kana kept herself firmly anchored in reality. She didn't want to risk losing herself not only to memory, but the urge to drink more of Zero's blood than she needed. After the second swallow of his blood, she slowly pulled away, her lips lingering over the spot she had bitten for a moment.

"Thank you," she said, her grip on him loosening as she wiped a hand absently over her mouth. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he replied blandly, fixing his shirt and pulling his jacket back on. "We should go."

"Wait," Kana called when the handsome hunter turned his back on her and began to walk away. "I made a promise. I owe you an explanation."

"Tell me later, you reek of blood."

She lifted her right hand over her wounded shoulder, the blood that had stained her coat and clothes rising from the fabric and swirling into her hand before soaking into her hand that she closed around it.

"If you could have reabsorbed-"

"I didn't reabsorb that blood, I destroyed it. I was shot with an anti-vampire weapon, the last thing I want to do is reabsorb blood that has been poisoned with anti-vampire magic. Besides, I can't exactly walk around covered in blood, now can I?"

"Whatever, lets just go."

"What about the explanation I owe you?"

"You'll still owe it to me later."

Kana watched Zero go for several long seconds, a soft frown pulling down the corners of her red lips. She hoped that her display outside of the Association's library and her taking his blood hadn't ruined what little friendship they had managed to establish in the past several weeks.

–

"They're testing his loyalty," Kana observed, not moving from her spot leaning into the wall near the window.

"Because of what happened the other day?" Sora asked, closing his book and rising to look out the window next to Kana.

Kana nodded, watching as Zero strolled out of the Academy grounds, it was only two days ago that they had gone to the Hunter Association and Zero had just received his first mission, his first target to exterminate. "Most likely. They want to make sure that he's still loyal to the Association and that he'll still follow their orders."

"Why wouldn't he?" Sora questioned. "He is a hunter."

"The Association isn't what it's supposed to be and I'm quite sure it wasn't by accident that the book I found was a fraud. Someone is definitely attempting to corrupt the Association I created, that Tristan created... And they're succeeding," Kana replied with an absent frown on her face while she continued to watch Zero walk away from the academy without so much as a glance back.

"But wouldn't they notice?" Riku asked. "If the book was a fraud, why would it go unnoticed? Someone had to have known."

"Like I said," Kana answered, turning away from the window after watching Yuuki sneak out of the academy to follow Zero. "I'm quite certain the Association is already corrupt. I'm also quite sure it wasn't a recent development, either. I think this has been going on for a long time."

"But who would corrupt the Association?" Sora asked.

"Oh, come now, Sora," Kana replied, a teasing note to her voice. "Can't you think of anyone with something to gain from the Hunters?" She let herself fall into the chair by the window, they were still at the Headmaster's home, the man was too kind to ask her to leave, but she knew she couldn't stay there much longer. It was raising too much suspicion.

"You think the Council-"

She cut Sora off without a care. "If it's not the Council, they still have something to do with it. I guarantee it."

"But why?" The blue eyed man asked.

"Who knows really? The Association is letting itself be corrupted, there's no other reason for the book I wrote to be replaced with a fraud. It couldn't have been done on accident. There must be something for them to gain out of this, the Association and Council both. What that something is... It's hard to say, it could be so many things... Sora, would you do me a favor?"

"Of course, my lady," he replied, offering a small bow that made Kana smile softly and shake her head.

"It's time we met with the Council of Ancients. Set up a meeting for as soon as you can, if they ask for a reason tell them that I would like to apologize for my actions and offer my support."

Sora and Riku exchanged glances, this was where things were going to get more interesting than they already were. Someone from the Hunter's Association had already tried to kill Kana,Zero as well, and if her suspicions about the Council being involved were correct then she was walking straight into a lion's den. Especially since it wasn't likely that she would win the Council over and get them to trust her. She was playing a dangerous game, a game that she wasn't very experienced at playing, and it worried him.

–


	12. Chapter 12 Little Talks

Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

**Chapter 12**

**Little Talks**

"_If I agree, well, it's just to appease you, 'Cause I don't remember what we're fighting for..."_

It was early afternoon, the sun was blazing at her from its place high in the sky. Long shadows fell over the walkway, distorted images of the tall trees that hid most of the stones from view. Her heeled shoes clicked quietly against the stones as she strolled dutifully forward. The thin, loose fitting crimson blouse she wore did little to keep the chill of the day away as it clung to her while she approached the Moon Dormitory.

Looking up at the austere structure, she paused at the bottom of the steps that would lead her inside. Her eyes scanned the windows, most of which had the curtains tightly pulled shut. Given the hour most of the vampires would be in their rooms, asleep. That was what she had hoped at least, and now she knew that that was indeed the case. She could only feel a few vampires still moving around the dormitory, but they wouldn't bother her, they didn't even know she was there. She had hidden her aura from them to be sure she wouldn't have an audience when she entered the dormitory, but just because the nobles couldn't sense her didn't mean that there wasn't someone, or something, else inside that could.

She could feel Kaname in his room, and unlike most of the others, he wasn't asleep. He was awake and he was waiting for her. Closing her dark eyes, she took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out and reopening her eyes so she could walk up the steps.

She let herself into the Moon Dorm, climbed the steps leading to the third floor, and turned down the hall that she and Kaname had shared for the last several weeks before she had fled. When she reached Kaname's door, she didn't bother knocking she simply opened the door and stepped into his dimly lit room. Shutting the door behind herself, she paused just inside the door.

Kaname was lying on a chaise, a table strewn with papers in front of it. He looked tired as he opened his eyes to meet hers and Kana felt her heart speed up in her chest just a little. He was still beautiful, despite all of the ugly things he had done, he was still stunning and the look in his eyes, of sorrow, loss, and loneliness made her heart ache. She had loved him once, so very much, a part of her still did, always would. That part was hard to ignore at that moment, it wanted to comfort him, to tell him he wasn't alone and never would be, but she would be lying. He was alone, even surrounded by the nobles in the dorm, he was alone. He likely always would be too. Even if Yuuki did wake and decide to marry him as her parents wished, she knew him well enough to know that he would still isolate himself. He wouldn't give himself to Yuuki the way she would give herself to him, the way she herself had given herself to him thousands of years ago.

Kana knew Kaname was waiting for her to speak, to see what it was that had brought her, alone, to his room in the afternoon when no one else was around to witness their meeting.

"I'm to see the Council this afternoon, as I'm sure you're already aware, and I have a favor to ask," she said, not wasting anytime with any sort of polite greeting as she simply went straight to the point.

"A favor?" Kaname replied, an eyebrow raising curiously. "From me?" He seemed almost vaguely amused by the idea.

"Don't start with me, Kaname, I'm not in the mood," she warned blandly, stepping closer to the chaise he was lounging on and eying him cautiously, uncertainly. "I'd like you to come with me to see the Council. I don't like them, but I can't afford to make an enemy of them. I can't afford to make any enemies if I plan on surviving in this changed world I woke up in." Her crimson eyes settled onto his while he studied her, obviously curious about the full meaning behind her words.

For several moments the two former lovers stared at each other, neither one speaking, neither one moving, but the both of them scrutinizing the other.

Sighing, Kaname slowly sat up. "You've already made enemies," he said, brushing some of his dark brown hair from his face.

"I don't want you as an enemy, Kaname, but you haven't left me with much choice." The struggle to keep her voice even and cool was more difficult than she had expected. Her emotions were still easily upset even though she was no longer the ghost of herself she had been days before. She was herself, she had awoken, yet there were still lingering effects of her long sleep. Releasing a breath, Kana shook her head. "You haven't exactly made a friend of me, Kaname. I am not to blame for the state of our relationship... Not entirely at least."

"You've threatened-"

"You still don't understand, do you? You still don't get it?" She cut in spitefully, closing her eyes and turning away from Kaname's stare as her emotions once again tried to rage out of control. She shook her head, releasing another breath to calm her nerves.

Only Kaname could get such reactions out of her, the both of them knew it too. Kaname patiently waited for Kana to finish even though she had interrupted him, his dark eyes watching the emotions as they swam over her delicate features.

"I know you never really knew me, Kaname, but do you really think I'm like you? Do you really think I would murder that child just to spite you?" She shook her head again, blinking the wetness that was filling her eyes against her will away. "This isn't the world I left, Kaname. So much has changed.. I loved you once, with all of my heart, I loved you. You hurt me. I may have betrayed you, but you know as well as I do that I deserved better than what you gave to me. You were just too blind to see it then. If I caused you pain, I am sorry, but what you did..." She lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly, the tears were building up in them and she was already weak enough in the eyes of the man before her.

"I'm sorry, Kana," Kaname said softly.

"For what, Kaname?" She inquired, her voice tired and laced with bitterness. "You said you would never forgive Tristan for taking me away from you, just as I would never forgive you for taking him, but there's one big difference in what was taken. Do you know what that is?"

There was a flicker of what could have been remorse or regret in his eyes before he spoke, but it was gone too quickly for Kana to know for sure.

"...You knew what you had lost before you lost it. I didn't."

"You may have loved me in your own way, Kaname, but I was so alone. So dependent on you for everything that being denied love, _real_ love, for hundreds of years that that just wasn't good enough. I hate you for what you took from me, and I don't know if I can forgive you, but I do know that I don't want anyone to have to suffer the pain you caused me. You don't know what it's like for me right now. I'm hurt, I'm angry.. And I'm scared, Kaname. I don't want to lose any more than I've already lost. And I'm not the only one to have made threats, Kaname, the difference is mine were mostly empty... Yours were not. I don't want to make you an enemy, but I will if I need to. What happened between us happened thousands of years ago, I will never forget, but neither will you. We both lost something, we both have to move on."

"It's that simple?" Kaname inquired, arching an eyebrow slightly while still studying Kana.

Kana sighed, her crimson eyes closed briefly as she exhaled. "Nothing is ever that simple, not with us, but what else is there?" She asked softly, her eyes meeting his tiredly. "I don't want to keep fighting, Kaname, I just want to move on. If I'm to survive then I need your help, and if that means calling a truce then so be it. We are not the same as we were thousands of years ago, our decisions and actions from that time can't define us or we'll never be able to function in this new, and very different, world. I have to change, to adapt, and learn the ways of this new world. I would like your help, but if you do not wish to give it I cannot force you."

"And if I do go to see the Council with you," he began, rising from his seat. "What then? You realize that there aren't many options, don't you? The Council isn't simply going to leave you alone. It's not in their nature. They will want to use you, or they will want to destroy you. Or both and in no particular order."

Her keen eyes watched Kaname as he turned his back on her and strode calmly towards his window. He gently shifted the curtain a few inches to peer outside briefly before letting the thick drapery fall back into place. "That's why I want your help, Kaname. You know them and how they operate, I do not. As for what my options are, I'm aware they're slim. However, I will agree to behave and stay here, under your watchful eyes, so long as I can be left mostly in peace and we can agree to attempt to be civil to one another."

"You've made it clear who you are, Kana," Kaname pointed out. "The Council isn't going to care if you behave and are under my protection or watch. You're still the woman that created the Hunters Association and you still pose a threat to them."

She tilted a brow, her crimson eyes curious. "Either you don't know, or you're playing stupid. Which is it?" When he only stared at her evenly, making no hint that he knew what she was talking about, she continued. "The Hunters Association is corrupt. You have to have noticed."

Kaname leaned back against the wall by the window. "I had my suspicions."

She snorted haughtily. "Of course you did. I'll tell you something you may find interesting then. When I visited the Association with Zero I visited their library. In that library is an old book that's kept under lock and key. Care to guess which book it is?"

"The book you wrote and passed on to the Kiryu line, everyone knows it's there," Kaname answered, his brows drawing together when she shook her head.

"No, it's not the book I wrote. It's supposed to be, and it's believed to be that very book, but it is not the book that I wrote and gave to Tristan. It's a fake."

Kaname frowned. "I didn't know that..."

"I wouldn't expect you to. I wouldn't have known myself if I hadn't actually seen it. I don't think the entire Association is corrupt, at least not willingly or knowingly, but the higher ups are. The president is not what she seems. I can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but that woman is wrong."

"You believe the Council of Ancients has something to do with this, don't you?" Kaname asked.

She inclined her head slightly. "I do."

"If that's true, then you may think that they will ignore your link to the Hunters, but I don't agree. I think it makes you more dangerous to them than you have realized."

"All the more reason for you to help me. We may not be what we once were, Kaname, but I don't think either of us wants the other dead. Not if we could stop it."

"... And that's it? I go to the Council with you and then we just move on?" He inquired, a brow lifted in thought as he studied her curiously.

They stared evenly at one another for several moments before Kana sighed and shrugged a shoulder carelessly. "We've each got our own agendas, Kaname, and, to be honest, I don't think they're all that different."

"You're saying we could help each other?" He asked.

She shrugged again. "Something like that. I suppose we'll just have to see what the future holds."

"I suppose we will," Kaname murmured before turning his attention away from her, essentially dismissing her.

For several moments she stayed, watching him as he took a seat on the chaise once again. The games had begun, and there was no telling who would win. With a sigh, she let herself out of the room and made her way back to the room she was temporarily residing in at the Headmaster's residence. She had a meeting with the Council of Ancients to prepare for.

* * *

When Zero returned from his mission Kana was gone from the Headmaster's guest room. He had gone to the room she had occupied to finally ask for answers, but the room was empty and only her scent lingered in it. Things just kept getting more and more frustrating and complicated, he was finally ready for answers, but she wasn't there to give them. He had asked the Headmaster about her, but all the scatterbrained man would say was that she had left earlier in the afternoon. It wasn't hard to tell that there was something more the Headmaster wasn't saying, the tension in his smile and overly enthusiastic reply was enough to tell him that.

When he had pressed for further information the Headmaster had sighed, but relented. Kana, Sora, Riku, accompanied by Kaname had gone to a meeting. A meeting with the vampire Council of Ancients. Kana had requested permission to leave the grounds earlier in the day, not more than a few minutes after Zero's departure. The Headmaster had, of course, given it.

Zero could understand the tension that the Headmaster felt. Kana had not gotten off onto a good start with many of the vampires, and he had heard rumors of her meeting with one of the ancients. It had not gone well from what he understood. He was surprised that Kaname had gone with her, though he wasn't sure of the reason. Kaname was either on her side, or against her. There would be no middle ground with the Council.

Uncertain as to when he would see Kana again, and wanting answers he decided to press the Headmaster for information on Yuuki. At first the Headmaster was all too happy to gush about his adopted daughter, but when he tried to inquire about her forgotten past, and if he knew anything about it, the eccentric man had denied everything in a haze of confusion before going off on another giddy rant about how sweet and cute Yuuki was.

The behavior of the Headmaster was enough to tell Zero that there was something being hidden about Yuuki and her past. He wanted to know what and he wanted to know what it had to do with Kaname Kuran, who was quickly becoming the most hated and reviled creature in his life.

* * *

The ride in the car was quiet. Kana sat between Sora and Riku while opposite them Kaname lounged, with Takuma Ichijo beside him, staring blankly out of the window. The meeting with the Council had everyone slightly tense and thoughtful.

"You may not like what I'm about to say, but I think you should consider letting me do all of the talking," Kaname said, breaking the silence that had settled heavily over everyone.

Blinking her crimson eyes open, Kana looked over at Kaname. She really hated the sensation that being in a car gave her, it just wasn't natural and she would have much preferred to travel using her own power. "Right now I honestly don't care. I just want to get out of this thing." She rubbed at her temples before resting her head on Riku's shoulder and closing her eyes again. "If you think it's best you spoke, then go ahead. I'll trust your judgment, you know the Council and its members better than I do after all."

"When we arrive you should apologize for how you greeted Ichio when you met him at the Academy. You should make it as genuine and remorseful as possible. Let them think you're weak and controllable. After that I will do the talking. You realize that if they listen to me and accept my terms that you will have to stay at the Academy, don't you? And that will mean playing your part as a student there."

Kana sighed, waving dismissively at Kaname. "Yes, I know. Good, little pureblood student. Must set an example for the others. Blah blah. I don't care, I just want to lie down on something that isn't moving."

"You are not the only one you need to be concerned for," Kaname pointed out.

Heaving another sigh, she sat up straight and opened her eyes again. "I'm aware of that. Sora and Riku will play their parts as well. If that means becoming students at the Academy then so be it. They've chosen to stay with me, and I will not abandon them. They also had nothing to do with my actions before, there should be no need to punish them. They're also not purebloods, being nobles there should be no reason to deny them access to the Academy. As far as the nobles are concerned they're no threat to them."

"But you and I both know that isn't true. They are a threat, Kana," Kaname stated evenly.

Her eyes narrowed, but she huffed in annoyance and turned away. "The Council doesn't know that, nor do they need to know that."

"I don't think I understand," Takuma spoke up from beside Kaname. He was glancing between the two purebloods, Kana was staring out the window with a sour look of discomfort while Kaname watched her.

"We may be nobles, but we are not like most nobles," Sora offered.

Takuma blinked. "Oh?"

"Kana gave us her blood," Riku said to clear up the confusion. He shrugged nonchalantly when his brother sent him a cold glare that said he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Nobles have long life spans, but not as long as purebloods. In giving us her blood, Lady Kana lengthened our lives, and also made us stronger."

"I see," Takuma mumbled in reply to Sora's brief explanation.

"The Council doesn't know anything about these two, and it's best we keep it that way," Kaname advised. "We should let them think they've only recent come into Kana's service."

Takuma nodded, smiling. "That would probably be best."

"We're here," Kaname said a moment later as the car pulled through large, decorative wrought iron gates.

Looking out the window at the mansion that spread out before the car, Kana sighed. She could already see several of the Council members waiting to greet them outside. Sighing, she straightened up and began to smooth the wrinkles from her clothes.

"Well, let the games begin," she murmured as the car slid to a stop.

* * *

When the sun began to set later that evening, Zero found himself grudgingly in the Academy's courtyard as the Night Class students began to make their way to the school for their lessons. He barely spoke to Yuuki or anyone else, but the restless, dark aura he was exuding was enough to keep everyone far away from him. No one was willing to test him when he was obviously in a bad mood.

As the Night students began to walk through the gate separating the dorm from the school buildings, Zero drowned out the sound of the girls that had flooded the courtyard and simply watched the Night Class pass. He caught sight of Kana walking with Sora and Riku, smiling and talking with other Night students as if the past months had never happened. As if she had always been a part of the group, even though she hadn't.

Zero frowned as he watched the group pass, not once did Kana or the twins by her side glance in his direction. He felt slighted, though he wouldn't admit it. He had been promised answers, answers he wasn't sure he would be able to get if Kana was now going to play the role of the well behaved Academy student. He wondered just what had happened at the meeting with the Council she had attended that afternoon.

When the Night Class had made it in to the Academy he wandered off, he vaguely heard Yuuki shouting after him, but he ignored her. He spent awhile wandering the grounds, but eventually found himself outside of his dormitory. With Night Classes under way and the Day students in their rooms for the evening it was one of the few chances he would have to get some sleep.

He didn't realize how tired he was until he reached his room and collapsed onto his bed. He hadn't slept well the night before and the events of the past few days had been exhausting. The pull of sleep was impossible to fight. His eyes drifted shut, his breathing slowed, and the world disappeared.

"Sleeping?" A feminine voice questioned teasingly. "Here?"

His pale lavender eyes fluttered open. "Why are you in my room?" He asked Kana, sitting up to glare at the smirking pureblood.

"I'm not in your room," she replied breezily.

He realized with a start that she was right. They weren't in his room, they were in a well kept garden that was dominated by fragrant red roses. Kana was sitting on a stone bench, a soft, amused smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Where are we?" Zero inquired.

"In your dreams," Kana answered easily. She rose from the bench and stepped towards where he lay in the cool grass. "Care to take a walk?"

Pushing himself up from the grass, he dusted himself off before giving the arm Kana was holding out for him to take a disdainful look. "If this is my dream then why are you here?"

"I suppose you could say I hijacked your dreams. My blood and yours are still mingling, makes it quite easy."

Zero watched as Kana strode gracefully forward, her pale skin glowing ephemerally in the dim light that illuminated the garden. Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced over her shoulder at him. He found he wasn't able to look away as her crimson eyes locked on his and she smiled softly.

"See something interesting?" Kana inquired, her amusement clear in her voice and the twinkle in her eyes.

His cheek twitching, he snorted derisively and looked away suddenly all too aware of her presence. "You owe me an explanation."

The dark haired vampire sighed, but nodded as she once again began to walk along the well kept path of the garden. "Why do you think Kaname is so interested in Yuuki?" Kana asked, her tone now nearly business-like.

"I don't know." He was still annoyed as he walked after Kana. He didn't like dancing around questions and answers. He wanted answers, straight answers, and he didn't want to have to play any games to get them. Though as he looked over at Kana, he could see that she was thinking, considering something in her mind. There was a cautious look there too, something that said she wasn't sure whether she should tell him what she knew or not.

After a moment of thought, she sighed before she spoke again. "Shouldn't be that hard to figure out. You're a Hunter, Zero," she pointed out, sounding almost as if she were chiding him. "Kaname is a pureblood, right?"

"Obviously," Zero ground out, his anger flaring as he once again was denied a straight answer and was instead asked another question.

She smiled, pausing and turning towards Zero and beginning to circle him slowly, her finger on her chin as if she were thinking about something she had forgotten or just realized. "And Yuuki? She's just a normal teenage girl, right?"

"Don't know about normal," he grumbled, eying her suspiciously as she stepped daintily around him.

"Ah," Kana said, stopping behind Zero and raising herself up so she could lean close to his ear, her breath splashing over his neck. "Now we're getting somewhere."

Ducking away from Kana, Zero frowned as he turned to face her while also absently rubbing at the his neck where she had been breathing. For a dream, everything certainly felt very real. Including his growing irritation. "What do you mean?"

"She isn't normal," Kana replied, shrugging a shoulder as if the answer should have been obvious. "Certainly not a normal teenager, well, a normal _human_ teenager anyway."

"Are you trying to say she's not human?" Zero asked incredulously, forgetting his annoyance as he gave Kana a look that communicated how insane he thought she was.

Kana smiled, holding Zero's eyes for a moment before she began to walk passed him and towards the bed. "You don't think it was just a coincidence that she was found by Kaname when she was five with no memory of anything before that time, do you? Even if you did believe that, how would you explain Kaname's affection for her throughout the years? Why would a pureblood vampire rescue a human girl and not just forget about her after? Why is she so special to a man that could almost literally have any woman he wanted?"

"Then what is she?" Zero found himself asking even though he was still quite certain that Kana had lost her mind. What little of it she might have had left.

"I could tell you, but... You won't believe me," Kana replied lightly, starting to walk down the path again.

"Try me," Zero shot back, striding along beside her.

She studied him for a moment, unsure whether or not to actually tell him the truth. She had said he wouldn't believe her, but that wasn't entirely true. He wouldn't want to believe her, he would reject everything she was saying, he would reject her, but her blood still flowed in his veins. Not only from when he had bitten her, but because he was a hunter. He would sense that she wasn't lying, and he wouldn't doubt that feeling, he wouldn't be able to.

Sensing her hesitation, he grabbed her elbow and gently forced her to a stop. "Tell me," He pressed.

Looking up at him, she found herself staring into his determined lavender eyes. "I know I've already mentioned this theory, but... Do you really think it was a simple coincidence that you ended up here?" She finally said, her voice cool, calm. She sounded as if she were speaking to a frightened animal that would bolt at the slightest hint of anything it perceived as dangerous.

Zero stiffened and glanced away from Kana, a sense of foreboding washing over him that he couldn't ignore. There was something in the way she had asked the question, in the way the temperature seemed to drop and how isolated the garden felt all of a sudden. "What does it matter? What does that have to with Yuuki?" He asked, his anger still evident in his voice and his face, though he could tell by the softening in Kana's eyes when he looked at her again that there must have been shock, maybe even horror, in him too.

"You're a Kiryu, Zero. You're an ancestor of the man I loved thousands of years ago, the man I trusted above all others. I gave myself, my body, to that man's family. The Kiryu's have always been important to the Association, they have always been strong, and respected. Look at that family now. Look at what your family has become and only years after Kaname's return. Your family was murdered and you were bitten by a pureblood and left to fall into madness. Your family has fallen. Only you remain, but why?"

Words eluded him. It was a feeling he wasn't used to. Not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do. He could only stare blankly at Kana as she gazed up at him.

"Before... When you said it wasn't my responsibility to protect Yuuki, this is what you meant, wasn't it?" Zero asked. "You think my family was killed so that I would come here to protect Yuuki? Why?"

She stared up at him, thoughtfully. "Even I'm not entirely sure about that. The Kiryu's were strong, but I don't see why that meant they had to fall. I don't doubt that your family was purposefully targeted, but why you would be chosen to protect Yuuki..." She trailed off, her eyes growing unfocused as she thought over something. "Kaname has a very different way of protecting the things he claims to love."

"So?"

"You were raised a Hunter, so you likely already had a dislike for vampires prior to the murder of your family, right?"

"Yes," Zero replied stiffly.

"So wouldn't it make sense that you would grow to loathe vampires, purebloods specifically, after what that woman did?"

Kana was still staring over his shoulder, it was almost as if she were speaking more to herself than to him.

"I guess," he answered hesitantly. He wasn't sure he liked the turn the conversation took. "What does this have to do with Yuuki?"

Kana's crimson eyes cleared and they met his eyes unwaveringly. "Why have a Hunter that loathes purebloods protect one?"

He blinked at her unsure as to whether or not he had heard her correctly. If he had then she was implying that Yuuki was not only not human, but that she was a pureblood vampire.

* * *

Crimson eyes fluttering open, Kana lifted her head from Riku's shoulder and glanced back at Kaname. He was reading a book while leaning into the back wall seemingly oblivious to everything going on in the classroom.

"_Zero had a brother, did he not_?" She saw Riku's hand twitch and Sora glanced over at her. It wasn't often that she spoke to them telepathically and it had caught them both off-guard. However, she didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation, and in a room full of vampires not being overheard was nearly impossible.

"_Yes, a twin_," Sora answered.

"_Unusual_. _Was there any proof that the brother died?"_

Sora was the one to reply once again_. "Not that I'm aware."_

"_What difference does it make?" _Riku asked curiously, though he couldn't quite hide the haughtiness in his tone either.

"_Twins are thought to be two halves of one whole. If that is the case then Zero is not as strong as he could be as a Hunter," _Kana said.

"_I'd say the brat has learned to cope," _Riku remarked grumpily_. _

"_Yes, but is that because he had to, or because he was bitten by a pureblood vampire?" _

"_What exactly are you thinking, Lady Kana?" _

"_That if Zero were to reclaim that other half, to essentially eat his brother, he would be extremely powerful. Think about it. He's a Kiryu and my blood is still strong in that line, or was. He's been bitten by a pureblood, and he's now received blood from both myself and Yuuki. Both purebloods. If he not only ate his brother, but drank some of the blood of Shizuka Hio..." _Kana let her thoughts trail off as she frowned thoughtfully.

"_He would be nearly unstoppable, even a pureblood wouldn't be able to stand against him. Would they?_" Sora said after several moments.

"_No, no they wouldn't_."

* * *

~A/N~

Sorry for the long wait. I keep on losing my muse. When I find said muse, said muse is not always helpful anymore... Anyways, hopefully the updates won't take as long in the future.

Thank you for all of your reviews!

Also, I have created a new page on Facebook in hopes of being able to keep in better touch with everyone. It can be found under the name Rukia Twenty-Three. If you're interested please give it a look and a "like". Thank you bunches!

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